That Pokemon Fanfiction
by Eric1
Summary: A story of an aspiring trainer, and his adventures. Elements from Gold & Silver, and now Ruby & Sapphire. UPDATE: Chapter 19 is here! R&R, if you enjoy the series!
1. Chapter 1

"You WHAT?!" the dark figure growled, clasping his hands together, as if holding his rage between his two palms.  
  
"We failed to catch it," the pink-haired woman replied, bowing her head.  
  
The figure took a few deep breaths to calm itself. "You know how crucial that Pokemon is to my plans.. If we don't have it, we don't have the key."  
  
"Understood," the pink-haired woman bowed, turning on her heel. "I've gotten reports that it's headed for New Bark Town."  
  
"Find it, and capture it. Take as many Pokemon as you need!"  
  
"I won't let you down again.."  
  
------  
  
"We're sorry, Eric. You don't qualify to participate in the Johto, or Kanto Leagues. We cannot give you a starter Pokemon, or a Pokedex. We're sorry." With those harsh words, Professor Elm turned back to his research, a Cleffa, brought in by a trainer. "But.. Professor Elm.. You told me.."  
  
"No but's. I have made my decision, and my decision is final. Until you pass the test with better scores, good day." Professor Elm replied, not even bothering to turn around. Eric heaved a frustrated sigh, and walked out. His mother had gotten him basically everything he'd need to start his journey. 6 Pokeballs to start out with, his PokeGear, a backpack in which to put everything, and, most importantly, a nice, neat stash of food, enough to last him, if he rationed, up to Mahogany Town.  
  
Well, Professor Elm's decision or not, he was going to go take the league on anyways. However, the realization hit him; he didn't have a Pokemon. Professor Elm's job was to give him a Pokemon to start out with. Making his way back home, on the outskirts of the woods surrounding New Bark Town, he opened the door. His mother had had a Pokemon given to her, and had had it most of her life. It wasn't trained, and it was mostly pretty lazy, which was emphasized when the swinging door slammed into the Weedle. It hissed, and made its way outside.  
  
"Honey, look who dropped in!"  
  
What a pleasent surprise. A Vulpix that had been in the area over a year ago had returned, mysteriously, that same day. It seemed to enjoy having their company, but Eric had seen other Vulpix before. This one was... odd looking, to say the least. White streaks of fur lined its back and sides, and it wore a military camoflauge pack around its neck. It was like it travelled, or something.  
  
"Oh. Him again." Eric muttered, pulling out a chair at the same table, and sitting in it. He grabbed a cracker, and bit into it, awaiting his mom's lecture about his low test scores. "Honey, I heard from Professor Elm that you scored so low on your test, that he couldn't give you a starter Pokemon.."  
  
Eric groaned softly, and rolled his eyes. That's the last thing he needed right now, was a lecture, not after being shot down like he was. Standing, he left the room before the lecture could become heated, and slammed his door behind him. Despite how old he was, he felt the urge to cry. He had waited his whole life to become a Pokemon Trainer, and, as it seemed, it was being kept away from him. He plopped helplessly onto his bed, allowing his mind to roll some ideas around. A soft thump on his bed brought his thoughts away from how he could catch a Pokemon to start with, to the Vulpix sitting on the end of his bed.  
  
"Oh, hi, Kazin."  
  
"You come to finish the lecture?"  
  
Kazin muttered, allowing his thoughts to reflect back to his younger days.  
  
"You're still a pup," Eric said, bringing Kazin around to reality.  
  
Eric blinked in utter disbelief. A rare Vulpix was offering to help him find a starter Pokemon. Things were already looking up. "Well, I have you for a temporary starter, but.."  
  
Kazin replied, staring at him with his brown eyes.  
  
"But, I still need a Pokedex."  
  
--------  
  
The window was unlocked, which was surprising to both boy and pokemon, allowing Kazin to slip right into Professor Elm's lab. Professor Elm was working the late shift again. With a soft thump, Kazin fell to the floor, and immediately crept behind a nearby table. Professor Elm always kept the PokeDex where he could find them, so getting to it wouldn't be a problem. It'd be getting away with it, that'd be the tough part. Creeping beneath the desk, his ears picked up the murmurs of Elm, obviously going over something that had to do with Delibird. Another of life's great mysteries.  
  
Professor Elm turned to put the book on the bookshelf. 'Perfect time to strike,' Kazin thought, moving out into the open, and onto the desk Eric had carefully picked out so that he could see it. He picked up the Pokedex in his mouth, and made a run for the open window. At that same moment, Elm had turned around, to notice the Vulpix. "H-Hey! You!" he yelled, getting up from his seat to give chase, "Give that back!". Too late. Kazin had already dove out the window, and rushed out into the woods.  
  
--------  
  
"Professor Elm? Are you home?"  
  
A slight knock came at the door. One of the scientists studying with Professor Elm lifted himself from his book and comfortable chair, and opened the door. "May I help you?"  
  
"Ah, yes. I'm Eric's mother... He wasn't in bed this morning, when I woke up. I was hoping that maybe Professor Elm had seen him..?" his mother asked, smiling, though the worry in her eyes was obvious. "I'm sorry, miss. I haven't seen your son, nor has Professor Elm."  
  
Eric's mother looked at the ground silently, and gave a slight nod. "Alright. Thank you."  
  
--------  
  
"Yaha!" Eric grinned, pulling the backpack onto his back with little effort. "The Johto League will soon face the wrath of Eric Malone!"  
  
"You know that the time you spend with me, means that people won't try to catch you. Besides, I could catch you at any time."  
  
Kazin muttered, sitting, so that his 'trainer' stepped ahead a bit.  
  
"Ah.. true.."  
  
Both set their pace to normal once more. "So," Eric inquired, glancing down at the Vulpix. "You intend to leave for your travels again as soon as I get a Pokemon?"  
  
Eric frowned a bit, but allowed it to melt away with the bright sun above. "Such a pity, I think I was getting used to having you around."  
  
Kazin yawned. Sleep was scarce the night before. It made him wonder how the aspiring trainer could have so much zeal after missing so much sleep to get as far away from New Bark Town as possible. "I know.. but... hey, did you hear that?"  
  
The bushes across from them rustled silently, the leaves swaying in an irratic pattern that suggested that it wasn't the wind moving it. "What do you think's in it?"  
  
In a storm of leaves, a Pidgey emerged, taking flight, but staying just off the ground enough to take a look at who had passed by. "It's a Pidgey!"   
  
the Pidgey replied, glaring.   
  
Kazin muttered, sitting down, and staring up as the Pidgey prepared itself to tackle him.  
  
---------  
  
End Chapter 1 


	2. Chapter 2

With a flurry of feathers, the Pidgey dove down towards the Vulpix below, causing Eric to step back cautiously.. best not to get caught in the fight. A nasty burn would end his Johto League aspirations quickly. With a graceful leap, Kazin leapt over the Pidgey, landing on its head.. clonk! While the vulpix was hardly heavy enough to hold down more than a few sheets of paper, it was certainly enough to down it.  
  
"Alright! Good job, Kazin!"  
  
Kazin muttered, sitting atop the Pidgey, so it wouldn't escape.  
  
Eric gave a slow nod, pulling out a Pokeball.. with a press of the button on the side of it, it enlarged to a normal size.. with a grunt, he tossed it in the direction of the Pidgey. Kazin leapt over the ball as it came down, as not to get caught, and the ball touched the Pidgey. Turning red for a few moments, it soon disappeared into a red beam of light, which was then absorbed into the Pokeball. The ball fell to the ground, and began to shake gently.. after a few long, tedious seconds, the ball stopped shaking, and a soft 'ding' was heard.  
  
"Alright! I got my first Pokemon!" Eric grinned happily, looking down at Kazin.  
  
Kazin commented, closing his eyes, giving one of those cutesy Vulpix yawns. Thud. Eric somehow lost his balance, and fell right over.. how odd. Rubbing the side of his head, he slowly stood, and picked up his new Pokemon. "So.. Are you going on your way yet?"  
  
Kazin explained, moving on down the road. Eric quickly followed. "Aw. C'mon. You know you wanna hang out with me, and become the famous rare Vulpix that defeated the Johto League.."  
  
"Very funny."  
  
----  
  
The next week passed with relatively little troubles at all. Kazin spent any offtime training Eric's Pidgey, and it was coming along well.. by the end of the week, full of Pokecenter visits, battles, and trainer battles (which Eric all won.. once the Pidgey was down, Kazin made short work of everything else the trainers threw at him), the Pidgey, during a training session, began to glow.  
  
Kazin called, glancing back over at him. Fishing pole in hand, Eric rested at the side of the river, in hopes to catch some kind of good aquatic Pokemon. "Eh? What's up?" He noticed the light. "Woah! Wicked!"  
  
He dropped his fishing pole, and took off towards Kazin and his Pidgey.. when it finally stopped glowing, it looked alot larger.. powerful.. more deadlier. A Pidgeotto. "Aw, right! I had forgotten that the Pidgey evolved into a.."  
  
Kazin rolled his eyes.   
  
Bringing out the Pokedex, he opened it, pointing the blue scanner towards his Pidgeotto, which began pecking the ground, searching for worms or something to eat.  
  
~"Pidgeotto. A bird Pokemon. Evolved from the Pidgey. While most trainers raise the Pidgey solely to have a Pokemon large enough to allow them to fly, the Pidgeotto also evolves into the Pidgeot, which is larger, and more suited for human flight."~  
  
"Pidgeot.. that's pretty swell. I think i'm ready for the first Johto League badge.." At that point, Eric had remembered his fishing pole, and went wandering back to find it. Kazin followed closely.. as they both wandered to the river, they noticed that his fishing pole was being tugged slowly into the water.  
  
"W-woah! Woah there!" Eric grumbled, diving to grab his fishing pole. He succeeded, and began to tug like no tommorow. "Wonder what it is.. could be a Goldeen.. or.. a Seaking.. or maybe a Poliwag.. or.."  
  
Fwip. Out of the water came a pinkish Pokemon.. it landed on the shore next to him, and stood there, looking pathetically stupid.  
  
"Eh.. That's a.. a.. um.."  
  
"Right. I knew that." Pokedex out.. scanning..  
  
~"Slowpoke. A stupid Pokemon. The Slowpoke is generally unused by anyone more than the novice trainer, and is usually raised to become Slowbro."~  
  
"Slowbro have Shellder on their tail.. soo.. wouldn't it be wise to evolve it before training it?"  
  
"Ah, right."  
  
"Slowww..."  
  
-----  
  
The battle took a short time. Pidgeotto managed to weaken the Slowpoke enough for capture, and the capture was successful. However, at this point, Eric was out of Pokeballs.  
  
Eric took a short glance towards the Vulpix. "Who says? I remember reading, the first Pokeballs were created from nuts, hollowed out, and imbued with magic... eh.. okay, so, maybe you're right."  
  
Eric's Pidgeotto looked up at him.   
  
"Ah. Awesome. Pidgeotto finally made a mental link with me. Could you? I really don't want to go to town if I can help it," Eric requested, taking a seat beneath a shady tree. His Pidgeotto nodded, and took off into the sky, flying off into the horizon. In the distance, two teenagers crept through the grass cautiously, as not to startle wild Pokemon.  
  
"C'mon, Jake! If I don't catch a new Pokemon soon, i'll be the laughing stock of the entire school!" the first young boy cried, frustrated. "If only my Oddish knew Sweet Scent.."  
  
The second boy shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Perhaps you should try not to knock the Pokemon out.. hey.." the second boy stopped, looking directly over at Eric. "Dude. He's that trainer that everyone's been looking for. Stole a Pokedex from Professor Elm.."  
  
Eric looked up from his daydreaming, to notice the two teenagers. Kazin joked, standing on all fours from his sitting position.  
  
"Eh?"  
  
The two teens approached from the tall grasses, grinning broadly. "Hey. Professor Elm has offered a reward for the return of his stolen Pokedex.. hand it over, and we won't have to force you to."  
  
"Oh?" Eric yawned, slowly standing. "Is that so? I think, if I were you, i'd back off."  
  
Kazin muttered, hopping off to disappear into the tall grasses, leaving both Slowpoke and Eric behind. "Aw.. aw, damn.."  
  
"Lose your acomplice in crime? Too bad. Now it's time to take back that Pokedex..! Go! Oddish!"  
  
In a glow of red light from the thrown Pokeball, out pops the Oddish. It dances around for a moment, before uttering a cry. The first boy steps in, as well. "Go! Koffing!"  
  
With a cry, the Pokemon emerged from its Pokeball, puffing its internal smoke in every direction. Two against one.  
  
"Aw.. crap.. eh.. Slowpoke! Use Confusion on that Koffing!" Eric commanded, pointing towards the two trainers. It glanced in Eric's direction, and gave him a blank look.  
  
"Slow?"  
  
Eric produced the Pokedex, and pointed it at the Slowpoke.  
  
~"Currently, Slowpoke seems to be using Amnesia. He temporarily forgets all orders and attacks, but the attack is usually much more deadlier."~  
  
"Okay then.. Slowpoke, use Confusion!" he commanded again, pointing. Again, nothing.  
  
The two teenagers laughed. "What a useless Pokemon! Only a beginner would catch such a useless.. guffoh!"  
  
Glowing an array of colors, the first trainers Koffing slammed right into the first teenager.. both down for the count. "Grrr.. Okay! We have the type advantage! Oddish, use Absorb!"  
  
"Slowpoke, Headbutt!"  
  
"Slow..?"  
  
While Slowpoke contemplated what the command was supposed to mean, the Oddish had ample time to latch onto Slowpoke, and begin sucking the life out of it. It didn't take long for the Slowpoke to fall under the type disadvantage. With swirls in its eyes, the dopey Pokemon was called back into its Pokeball.  
  
"Out of Pokemon now, buddy.. ain't no-one to stop me from just taking that.. agh!"  
  
Out of the sky swooped the long-awaited Pidgeotto, a small bag clutched in talon. It dropped the bag next to its trainer, and turned its eyes towards the Oddish.  
  
"Finally! Good job, Pidgeotto! Now, let's take advantage of the situation.. First, use Quick Attack to catch it off guard!" Eric commanded, a determined glint in his eyes. Like a blur, Pidgeotto dug its talons deep into the Oddish, sending it flying into the sky. "Now, intercept it with a Peck attack!"  
  
With a bit less speed than before, the Pidgeotto met the Oddish in mid-air, and began to peck wildly at it.  
  
"Oddish, Stun Spore!" WHAM! Too late. The Pokemon fell beside its trainer, and was summarily returned to its Pokeball. Both teenagers got up.  
  
"You'll pay for this, Eric! Mark my words!" Both trainers made a run for New Bark Town, tears streaming behind them.  
  
Kazin chimed, moving out of the nearby bushes.   
  
"Huh? Are you sure?" Eric sighed, sitting, rummaging through the bag. Some grass, and a couple of Pokeballs. About three total. Also, a small purple spray bottle rested at the bottom of the bag. It seems Pidgeotto picked up anything man-made. The potion was pulled out, and spritzed onto the Slowpoke. The Slowpoke slowly came back to the concious world, looking oblivious to the pain it had recieved. It moved towards the river, and stuck its tail in, almost out of instinct.  
  
Kazin gave a short nod, and gave a cute 'Vul!', before leaping off into the thick grass.  
  
"Take care, then, Kazin.."  
  
Eric moved back over to the river, sitting next to Slowpoke, grabbing his fishing pole, casting the line into the water. The bobber rested above the water, untouched.  
  
----  
  
"Excuse me.. excuse me..? Hey! I'm talking to you!" a feminine voice chimed, finally hinting frustration. It was enough to bring Eric back to reality from his nap. "You're Eric, right?"  
  
"Eh? Huh?" Eric glanced around.. female figure, Pidgeotto gone, and Slowpoke swimming dopely in the shallow water near the edge of the river. "Oh.. yeah. What's it to you?"  
  
The female sat next to Eric, and leaned back against the tree trunk. She pulled out some bait, and a fishing pole, casting her own line into the water. "No reason. Everyone's been talking about you. You're becoming pretty popular. Alot of trainers are looking for you."  
  
"I noticed. So, why're you here?"  
  
"The name's Mistral. This is my usual fishing spot. I've been fishing for a Slowpoke for the longest time, but it looks like you beat me to it," Mistral sighed.  
  
Confusion set in for Eric. "I was told that Slowpoke were basically useless, and weren't much for battle.."  
  
"Not really. A properly trained Slowpoke will learn to evolve into Slowbro. At that point, it will be much smarter than your average Slowpoke, and will be a formidable foe in battle," the girl smirked knowingly, twitching the fishing pole slightly. "But i'm more in it for Slowking."  
  
Eric's eyes turned to the girl. "Slowking?"  
  
"A newly discovered Pokemon. It's said there's only a few of them in the world, and the way to get one is incredibly difficult. However, the Slowpoke rush has begun, and most of the Slowpoke are moving downstream to avoid capture."  
  
"So, how would I get mine to evolve into a Slowking?"  
  
"It's simple. Scientists are pondering how to do such wonders, but I found out the way from a good friend.. first, you put out some of Shellder's favorite food, and have your Slowbro put it on its head. That's SlowBRO, not Slowpoke.. then, the Shellder will travel up to the Slowbro's head, usually during the night, latch on, and the Slowbro will evolve. It's guessed this is because it's easier to get scraps of food from the head than the tail," Mistral continued, yawning lazily. Eric noticed she had gotten a nice tan lately.. probably from hunting Slowpoke all day.  
  
"I see.. but what makes it so rare?" Eric inquired, moving his eyes to the bobber in the water.  
  
"Other than there being only a few in the world, Slowking are much different from Slowpoke and Slowbro. Slowking is one of the first Pokemon, besides the Alakazam, that has the capacity to learn human language. Not only that, but it can speak to other Pokemon, and translate it into our language.. which the Alakazam can't do. Mental links are proof of a bond between Pokemon and trainer.. but Slowking breaks all those bounderies."  
  
This piqued Eric's interest.. with a Pokemon that could translate Pokemon talk into plain english, there was all sorts of things he could do.. not to mention, persuade Pokemon to join him without battle.  
  
"But don't get your hopes up. Only me and Bill know the secret, and you.. so, don't tell anyone, okay?" Mistral glanced over at him, smiling.  
  
Eric gave a slow nod. "Of course not. I have my own plans.."  
  
"Plans?"  
  
"Yeah. You could say that."  
  
----- End Chapter 2 


	3. Chapter 3

The bushes parted neatly as Eric made his way through them towards the blazed trail, recognized by most trainers as 'Route 29'. Mistral had long since packed up her things, thoroughly upset that she had been left behind. There were only a few small ledges between him and Cherrygrove City, and they were easy to climb.. if you had mountain climbing gear.  
  
"Where exactly do you think you think you're going, anyways?" Mistral demanded, using her left hand to move some of her pink hair out of her eyes. Eric hadn't noticed this about her before. Infact, he didn't notice her much at all. She stood around his height, with the pink hair, of course, and she wore clothes that offered coolness in the face of the blazing sun that rested high above them. Short shorts that clung to her body with sweat, and a blue shirt (the arms looked like they had been cut off) followed the same suit. Also, she seemed to be wearing hiking boots that had seen better days. Her eyes were a deep color of blue. On her waist was a leather pouch. One of the larger pockets, he supposed, carried her Pokemon. Various smaller pockets housed what looked like Potions, and Pokeballs she hadn't used yet. "You know you can't climb those ledges..  
  
"I never did know why you couldn't. They seem so easy to climb," she continued, as Eric moved past her to continue up the trail towards Cherrygrove City. Mistral made a desperate effort to keep up with him, catching a snag in the tall grasses. "Hey! Why aren't you talking to me!"  
  
Eric's Pidgeotto circled high overhead, looking for something, causing him to look up at the bird Pokemon. "Sorry. My mind was on other things."  
  
"What do you mean, 'Sorry'? I should've known you were just any other thief, like those Team Rocket people!"  
  
His eyes wandered from his Pokemon, to Mistral, shooting her an icy glare. "And what exactly do you mean by THAT?"  
  
"Where should I start?!" Mistral growled, her temper rising now at the thought of Eric talking back to her, especially with the information she had divulged to him only minutes earlier. "Well, first off, you go off and you steal a Pokedex from Professor Elm!"  
  
"He wouldn't let me challenge the Pokemon League. So i'm setting a new standard for Pokemon Trainers everywhere.. you don't need to take stupid tests to learn about Pokemon," Eric answered calmly, suppressing his rage.  
  
It seemed as though Mistral was suppressing her own rage. "Grr.. You didn't even know a thing about Pokemon. I'd be surprised if you even knew what town we're going to next! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have a goal set!"  
  
"Wrongo. I have two goals set."  
  
"Oh, really?! I'm going to enjoy hearing what they are."  
  
Eric opened his palm, sticking his middle finger and index finger out, as if to emphasize the number two. "First, I plan on challenging, and defeating, the Pokemon League in both Johto and Kanto, AND the recently discovered Hoenn." He ticked his middle finger down back into his palm with the other fingers. "Second, I plan to find and capture rare and elusive Pokemon to train and use to defeat the Pokemon League." His hand made a fist, which he put up right in front of Mistral's nose, speaking now with a poisonous tongue. "If you have a problem with me trying to become one of the few owners of a Slowking, or at the fact that I want to become a Pokemon Master, then you don't have to accompany me any further. I think i'd be well off by myself, without someone whining about what i'm doing and what my ambitions are, no matter how high they might be."  
  
Mistral looked taken aback. Her rage had subsided, replaced with confusion. "I.. uh.."  
  
"If you're going to be travelling with me, you will know that I am not a legal Pokemon Trainer. You will know that most of the stuff I will be doing won't be acceptable to most trainers and the Pokemon League, but at the point i'm at right now, there's no going back. Even if I did relinquish my Pokedex back, i'd be banned from the Pokemon League for the rest of my life, perfect test scores or not," Eric continued, stomping his foot to make a point. "Now, if you choose to return to the river and continue fishing, good day to you."  
  
With that, he turned on his heels, and continued down the trail, Cherrygrove Town pulling up on the horizon. It would only be a short walk more.. "Ooo.. God damn you, Eric! Fine! I will go back to my fishing! And I hope you never get a Slowking!" The words went in one ear, and out the other.. it was just like the taunting back at school, about his poor scores on everything he did. After a few more seconds of walking, the sound of two feet making their way through the tall grasses interrupted his thoughts.  
  
"Huff.. Okay. Okay. I'm sorry about what I said," Mistral apologized, trying to catch her breath. "I couldn't just leave you. I mean, you'll need help against all those trainers looking to grab that reward. And, besides, my knowledge of Pokemon can come in handy. Plus, I don't want you to divulge that information about Slowking, so i'm gonna tag along and make sure you aren't selling it to every trainer that walks by with ambitions for a Slowking."  
  
"Fine. You can come along, then."  
  
"Great! Let's go to Cherrygrove Town, then!"  
  
------  
  
Cherrygrove wasn't much bigger than New Bark Town, but it was a bustling place full of starting trainers and all sorts of Pokemaniacs with different ambitions. It was a great place to recruit help for Eric's cause.. well, if he had one. But you never know when you need the help. Eric used Mistral to help out; since he didn't want to be seen in places where he knew he'd be recognized, he allowed her to take his Pokeballs to go into the Pokemon Center to recover his Pokemon. Mistral was quick to point out that no-one was even in there.  
  
"Only taking precautions," Eric shrugged, heading down by the river. Several boulders lay out over the large stretch of land, perfect for sitting, and he didn't hesitate to take one for himself. Sitting, he seemed content with allowing his Slowpoke to wallow in the water, while his Pidgeotto, happy to be away from the confines of its Pokeball, soared through the air with ease. Trainers littered the shoreline to the river, all of them chatting about how they hoped they'd get a Slowpoke to try and find the secret.. imagine their surprise when a Slowpoke wallowed right into the river, sat in the shallow water, enjoying himself.  
  
"H-hey! Slowpoke!" One trainer called out to his fellow trainers. As if in unison, preparing to dive in and do water acrobatics, they each brought out Pokeballs and began throwing. Eric had read about this, luckily; a captured Pokemon could not be captured by other trainers. Mistral seemed amused that they each walked away, one by one, as they realized the Slowpoke was captured.  
  
Eric gave a whistle, which the Slowpoke took a few moments to register before moving towards his trainer, albeit slowly. "We can't stay here long. Too much of a risk, anyways.."  
  
"Are you joking? It's almost sunset! If we went on Route 30 now, we'd be in alot of trouble," Mistral advised, as if she had hung around there overnight once.  
  
"What do you mean?" Eric asked, glancing over at the pink-haired girl. "I've heard there are alot of Pokemon over there at night that aren't there in the morning, but.."  
  
"There've been reports of a Monkey-ish Pokemon attacking trainers at night out on Route 30. It's been such a problem. But, I forgot, you don't read the newspaper," Mistral shot at him, trying to catch him off guard.  
  
Eric ran a hand up through his hair, as a breeze wafted through the area. Light was beginning to get scarce. "I don't waste my time and money on the newspaper. I watch the news on TV. But, if you're going to be buying one tommorow morning, feel free. I'll read it with you."  
  
"Hey! You know, you can stop being cold to me," Mistral muttered angrily.  
  
"I'm not being cold. I'm trying to get close to you, that's all. If we're going to be travelling partners, there's no point in arguing with you about every little thing," he replied, closing his eyes, yawning.  
  
"I.. er-um.. eh..." she seemed to stumble to find words to say. He could almost swear that he felt the heat coming off her cheeks, as well. "Well.. Don't be hitting on me, now! I'll have you know, I don't date convicts!"  
  
Eric gave a hearty laugh at her remark. "What's so funny?!"  
  
"You don't date them, but you follow them around. Sounds a little contradictory."  
  
Mistral raised a finger towards the air, and opened her mouth to speak, but she quickly closed it, looking towards the water of the river. "Hmph."  
  
"Excuse me.. Is your name, Eric?" a voice called from behind them.  
  
Opening his eyes, Eric whirled around on his boulder to find a tall, lanky looking trainer looking down at him. The boy stood about 6'1", easily standing taller than Eric was. Glasses were present on his face, allowing his brown eyes to see better. He wore long jeans, but they were black, and most of the places where stitch would've been present, neon-green plastic lined them, covering up the stiches. Also, he wore a loose fitting black shirt. His hair was tied back in a pony-tail, and his hair looked greasy, and unkempt, like he hadn't bathed in a couple of days.  
  
"Yeah. That's me. What can I do for you?" Eric replied, hopping off the boulder. The taller trainer was intimidating, not to mention, he seemed to be alot more muscular than he was. "Oh. I was simply wondering if my guess was correct. So you're the fugitive?" the man asked, smiling.  
  
"Uh. Yeah. But by the looks of it, the police haven't been too keen to catch me, even when I show my face in public. Infact, I haven't seen one for a while."  
  
"Yeah. They're all still searching around New Bark Town for you. That Vulpix you had with you when you pilfered the Pokedex was spotted by a few trainers, not to mention the ones you beat. I figure you should leave tommorow morning, bright and early, if you don't want to get caught. Try to put some distance between you and those officers," the trainer advised, looking back over his shoulder.  
  
Eric's eyes wandered up the man's face. "What's your name?"  
  
"You can call me Eugene. I'm a beginning trainer, much like yourself, and the pink-haired girl here. I'm interested in hanging around with you guys for a while. I want to see just what i'm up against before I choose a.. rival."  
  
Mistral seemed to perk up, glancing back at the two from her boulder so she can concentrate on their conversation. "A rival?" Eric asked, cocking his head to the right slightly. "Why would I need a rival?"  
  
"To keep you on your toes," Eugene replied, his face showing relatively little emotion. "If you're going to be running from the cops, you'll need to be on your toes. And you need strong Pokemon."  
  
Eric seemed to contemplate this for a few seconds. "Well.. Alright. You can tag along for a while."  
  
"Excellent. So, are we leaving for Violet City in the morning, or right now?" Eugene asked, glancing from Eric to Mistral.  
  
"Right now."  
  
"Are you crazy?!" Mistral screeched, jumping towards him from her boulder. "We'll get attacked by that crazed Pokemon if we go down Route 30 at night!"  
  
Eugene shook his head. "It's Eric's decision. He is on the run, you are not. If you would like to stay, and catch up with us tommorow, feel free."  
  
Mistral seemed to have a terrified look on her face, and Eric could tell why. They had different bodies, but their attitudes were the same, though, she could count on Eric being alot more anti-social.  
  
"Alright. Off to Violet City, then."  
  
"Yup. Off we go!"  
  
"To our dooms," Mistral groaned, walking after them, as they turned north.  
  
--------  
  
End Chapter 3 


	4. Chapter 4

The sun fell down over the horizon, drowning everything in darkness. Luckily, both Eugene and Eric had prepared for travelling in night-time conditions. Almost in unison, they brought out flashlights, flipping them on. Light streamed out from the ends, showing the trail infront of them.  
  
"Welcome to Route 30. Here you'll find convicts, crazed Pokemon, and berry trees," Mistral commented, working hard to keep up with the two.  
  
"Oh, would you lay off it, Mistral," Eric muttered, the beam of his flashlight aiming where his hand told it to. The bushes and tall grasses they walked beside illuminated, showing the eyes, briefly, of Pokemon that only the imagination could comprehend. Of course, there wasn't anything to be afraid of.. Mistral seemed only to be overeacting.  
  
Eric finally stopped, half-way through Route 30, and grabbed her by the shoulders. She was stopped in mid-complaint, and stared at him as his eyes bore into hers, whilest giving her a good shake between sentences. "Listen. We are not going to die or anything, so why don't you just not worry about it, because it's probably just some Beedrill that someone happened to piss off and it went after them because they were too scared to know what it was. "  
  
"Okay, Okay!" Mistral shouted, shoving Eric off her, brushing herself off. If the flashlight had been on her face, he would've noticed her blushing, but her face would've counted as a light anyways. "Yeesh. You don't need to get physical."  
  
"Alright. Let's go, then..." The leaves of a nearby tree rustled violently, causing Mistral to let out a scream, covering her head. A Spearow let out a cry, and abandoned its tree, flying off into the distance. "See? It was only a Spearow. Can we get going now?"  
  
Before the small group could move, a white form leapt from the tree, covering distance between them.  
  
"Damn! Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"  
  
The Pidgeotto, which had been circling overhead, free of its Pokeball, turned into a blur, and divebombed into the white form, flying straight up after connecting. The white form let out a screech, falling over, circles in its eyes.  
  
"It's only a.. a.." Eric dug out his Pokedex, pointing it at the Pokemon. ~"Mankey, a Pig-Monkey Pokemon. This Pokemon can hardly control its temper, especially in battle. It's been known to claim territory, and viciously attack anyone who comes near it.."~  
  
"So that's what that thing was," Mistral commented, a hand over her heart in a futile attempt to make it slow down. "Well, don't just stand there! Get rid of it!"  
  
Eugene stepped forward, but Eric quickly knocked him out of the way. "My pleasure." With a quick flick of the wrist, the Pokeball that had been prepped in his hand sped in the air towards the Mankey.. it connected, hitting it right in its nose. It let out a yelp of pain, as it was absorbed into its Pokeball in the tell-tale red light. The Pokeball hit the grass with a soft 'fwump', and began to shake, as the Mankey attempted to escape from its confines.  
  
After what seemed like ages, the Pokeball finally stopped moving, giving a soft 'ding', and locking tightly to confine the Pokemon within. "Phew. Finally. What TOOK you so long?!" Mistral complained, watching in amusement as Eric's Pidgeotto landed on his shoulder, giving him a playful nip on the ear.  
  
"It didn't take long, really. Only a few minutes," Eugene commented, watching the Pidgeotto chirp happily at Eric's petting. "Now that we have nothing to worry about, I suggest retreating into the trees to sleep the rest of the night off."  
  
"Great idea," Eric nodded, allowing his Pidgeotto to take flight again. He scooped up his Pokeball, placing it into his pocket, before following them into the trees.  
  
-----  
  
"Rise and shine! The day is new, the trainers are out, and so are the Pokemon. So let's get moving!" Eric demanded. It was only a few hours after sun-up, and Eric was eager to get moving so they could get to Violet City. "I said wake UP!" A swift kick to Eugene's leg still didn't register, and so, the taller trainer continued to sleep.  
  
Mistral slowly stirred, sitting up, rubbing her eyes. "What's the commotion about? Someone dying?"  
  
Even Eric's Pidgeotto was asleep, curled up next to Mistral with its head beneath its right wing. Mistral didn't seem to mind. "No. Trying to wake you guys up so we can get to Violet City. I'm starving."  
  
-----  
  
Violet City was a vibrant town, with many paved roads, and many places for the visitor to visit. Least of all, was the Sprout Tower. Rising four stories above Violet City, it was the tallest building of all, and it shone brightly, almost as if it absorbed the sun that shone down onto it.  
  
"You know, Eric," Mistral said, her eyes moving over to the Pokemon Center. "There's a Pokemon School here. Why don't you go in and learn a little about the Gym Leader here?"  
  
Eric stopped, glancing over at the item shop. He dug into his pockets, pulling out a few zenni. "Hmm.. That would be a good idea, but, I already know alot about Falkner."  
  
"Is that so?" Eugene quirked an eyebrow, digging into his backpack, which he had moved to his front for easier accessibility. "Then what type of Pokemon does Falkner use? And what types are good against that type?"  
  
"Flying," Eric replied, matter-of-factly. "Electric, Rock, and Ice attacks do the most damage against his type of Pokemon."  
  
Eugene moved over to the item shop, Eric and Mistral soon following. "Good job. However, if you've noticed, you only have three Pokemon, not to mention one that hasn't been properly trained yet.."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
Mistral seemed to be enjoying listening to the conversation, as she had stopped her muttering once they entered the item shop. "I'm just saying, in order to stand a chance against Falkner, you're going to need either alot of luck, or a Rock Pokemon," Eugene replied, moving over to a rack of potions. A few people stopped their shopping to watch Eric as he stepped up next to the taller trainer.  
  
"You seem to know alot more than I do. Tell me where I can find a Rock Pokemon on such short notice," Eric challenged, picking up a Potion, looking it over. A label read, 'Super Potion', and it had an orange tint to the bottle, instead of the usual blue.  
  
"There aren't any around here. Unless you can find a trainer that doesen't want one, or will trade you for that Slowpoke," Eugene pointed out, picking up two Potions, moving up to the front counter. Eric stayed close, Mistral following on their heels, listening.  
  
"I'm not trading anything for my Slowpoke, no matter how desperate people are for one," he muttered, folding his arms across his chest. "I have plans for my Slowpoke, thank you-"  
  
"You gonna pay for that?" the clerk asked, eyeing the Super Potion in Eric's hand.  
  
"I.. uh.. whoops. No. Sorry."  
  
"Then put it back where you found it, please." The clerk rushed to ring up Eugene's potions.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, i'm going." Eric moved over to the potion rack, and put the potion back where he had picked it up, leaving both Mistral and Eugene behind as he stepped out the door. His Pidgeotto was waiting, perched atop the nearby sign that read, 'Items'. The tell-tale bag hung from its beak. "Excellent! Who needs shopping, when you have the greatest Pokemon in the world, eh?"  
  
He stroked the bird Pokemon gently on the head, and took the bag. He looked inside.. two Pokeballs, and a potion. He'd had better hauls, but he couldn't complain; it WAS free.   
  
Eric glanced up at his Pidgeotto. "Alright! You finally established a mental link!"  
  
"Talking to yourself again?" Mistral mused, moving up to him as she exited the item shop, with a small bag of things herself. She seemed slightly amused about something, but he couldn't tell if it was the fact he was talking to his Pidgeotto, or that the Pidgeotto had brought back a bag of items that she had spent a fortune for only previously. "So THAT was how you got your items! Ingenius!"  
  
"I read somewhere that the Pidgey and Spearow family of evolutions are attracted to shiny things. I only directed it to put round shiny things into the bag, and sprays. I get potions and Pokeballs. I'm extremely thankful," Eric smiled, patting his Pidgeotto, who took flight soon afterwards. "Oh, and it established a mental link with me."  
  
Mistral seemed to become confused at the words, 'mental link'. "What's a mental link?"  
  
Something that Mistral didn't know that he knew? This was too good. Eric glanced over his shoulder, as Eugene stalked past, sorting through his backpack, heading straight for the Pokemon Gym. "Where's he going?"  
  
"You answer my question first!"  
  
"Only when you answer my question."  
  
Mistral balled her right hand into a fist, and clenched her teeth, as if mustering all the will power she had not to knock his block off. "Grrr.. He went to challenge Falkner!"  
  
"Thought so.. now.. what was your question?"  
  
GONG! A fist drove itself with enough force to nearly break his skull. "You THOUGHT SO?!"  
  
"Temper, temper," Eric grinned sheepishly, rubbing his head in a vain attempt to dull the pain. "A mental link is a rare event between a Pokemon and its trainer. If the Pokemon spends a prolonged time outside of its Pokeball, around its trainer, and even other trainers, for long periods of time, it establishes a mental link. You can hear the Pokemon's thoughts."  
  
Mistral's eyes wandered from Eric, up to the sky, where his Pidgeotto was doing a flip in mid-air. "Doesen't that reduce its tameness? Keeping it out of its Pokeball?"  
  
"Hardly. From what i've seen, they seem to become alot more tame when they're out of their Pokeballs."  
  
"Then how come your Mankey and Slowpoke aren't out of their Pokeballs?" Mistral inquired, looking back down at him.  
  
"Because Slowpoke is too slow, and Mankey isan't tame enough to keep outside its Pokeball."  
  
Eugene stepped up to the two of them, flashing a shiny badge. "Well, look who's one step ahead of the competition. Zephyr Badge."  
  
"Congratulations!" Mistral squeaked, giving Eugene quite an awkward hug. "Now, all we need to do is push Eric through his first challenge!"  
  
"His other Pokemon would get eaten up," Eugene commented, folding his arms across his chest, as if it would help him become more intimidating. Certainly, it did, but not to the other two trainers whom had become aquainted to him already. A female trainer let out an odd noise, and scuttled away, apparently changing her mind about going into the item shop.  
  
"How's that?" Eric asked, glancing up at him.  
  
"First off, your Mankey is Fighting. Falkner's Pokemon would eat it for breakfast."  
  
"So that leaves me with only Pidgeotto and Slowpoke?"  
  
"Slowpoke might be able to defeat its first, but its second.. I think even your Pidgeotto would have trouble with it," Eugene shrugged. "Though, as I was fighting the trainers he's been teaching, I thought of an excellent idea for you."  
  
Eric's ears perked up. He was ready for a good idea. "Do you see Sprout Tower?"  
  
His eyes wandered over to Sprout Tower, that largest, and most easy to see, building in Violet City. "Yeah. What about it?"  
  
Eugene shrugged again, as if what he was about to say had little or no importance. "It's been known that Gastly reside inside that tower."  
  
-----  
  
"Gastly? Well, I can say that a few of us have seen them floating around the tower at night. But they leave us Monks alone. They seem to respect that we are here to worship Pokemon, like my Bellsprout here," the bald monk smiled happily, bringing his hands together. His Bellsprout did a quick jump, and scuttled around him happily. "But there's long been an infestation of Rattata. If you can get rid of a few, we would be glad to direct you to our leader, who would be happy to introduce you to our resident Gastly."  
  
"It's a deal. Do you two want to help?" Eric asked eagerly, pulling out a small Pokeball. A press of a button, and the Pokeball enlarged to fit snugly in his right hand.  
  
Mistral dug into her pouch, and pulled out a Pokeball. "Sure thing. Eugene?"  
  
Again, Eugene shrugged, as if the idea didn't mean much. He, too, pulled out a Pokeball. "Alright."  
  
"Go, Butterfree!"  
  
Mistral's Pokeball was the first to hit the ground. It opened with a bright light, revealing the Pokemon inside. The Butterfree's wings glittered, with the many toxins its wings concealed.  
  
"Alright, give it your best, Hitmonchan!"  
  
To the amazement of the other two trainers, out of the Pokeball, sprung a tamed, rare, Hitmonchan. It took a few quick jabs at the air, and glanced back at its trainer. "We're looking for Rattata. Mistral's Butterfree will stun them, and I want you to help Eric's Pokemon."  
  
It took the orders with an understanding nod, and looked up, waiting for the Butterfree.  
  
However, Eric was too busy scanning the Pokemon to bother summoning his own just yet.  
  
~"Butterfree, a butterfly Pokemon. Its wings hold a special powder that can do a variety of things to the opponant. It tends to eat Oddish for its diet, but the Oddish, in turn, is able to spread its seeds."~  
  
~"Hitmonchan, a punching Pokemon. The Hitmonchan's jabs are incredibly powerful, but its kicks are weak. A trained Hitmonchan can focus energy into elemental attacks."~  
  
"Eric! Put that thing down and bring out your Pokemon so we can start!" Mistral demanded, looking irritated, as if his scanning of her Pokemon had insulted her.  
  
"Yeah. Sure. Alrighty, then. Go, Mankey!" His Pokeball hit the ground, and out popped the pig-monkey Pokemon that Eric had caught only the previous night. It glanced around, in shock, then quickly let out a screech, rushing off around the room.  
  
"CONTAIN YOUR MANKEY!" a monk shouted, hunching over, as the Mankey climbed atop him, slapping him silly over its bald head. "Ah! Mankey, return!" The red beam of light shot out of his Pokeball, only to strike the wall.. the Mankey didn't seem to want to go back in quite yet. Not until the job was done. The Mankey sped off behind the supports for the tower, and soon, it was raining Rattata.  
  
"MANKEY!"  
  
"Aw, damn.. this can't be good," Eric sighed, slapping his forehead. The Mankey, satisfied with what it had done, quickly returned to the monk to give him another good slapping around. This time, however, Eric managed to catch the Mankey in the red light, returning it to the confines of its Pokeball.  
  
Mistral helped the monk up, brushing him off. "Aiyah. That was a most terrifying experience.." The monk let out a gasp, and clutched his heart, trying to catch his breath.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Yes, yes.. You've done enough damage for one day. Go to the top of the tower, and visit our leader, Li," the monk gasped, leaning against the wall. "Quick, before he decides to release that Mankey again."  
  
-----  
  
The top room was definetely interesting, compared to all the other bland rooms. Scrolls of ancient texts lined the walls, and more Bellsprout statues littered the room than any of the previous ones. A monk, looking much like the others, was seated between two large Bellsprout statues, meditating. His eyes opened, as the three trainers entered the room.  
  
"Ah. Welcome, my friends, to Sprout Tower. My name is Li.. I was informed by the others that you helped us lessen the Rattata population in our tower," Li began, clasping his hands together peacefully.  
  
Eric nudged Eugene gently in the side. "This guy don't miss a beat, does he?"  
  
"I normally make trainers fight my Pokemon.. but for today, i'll make an exception, for your act of selfless kindness. First, take this HM.." Li smiled, producing a small, cube-like machine. He flicked it over towards Eugene, who caught it, looking at it. There was a small sticker on the front that read, 'HM 05: Flash', informing the trainer what move it taught when used. "Second, I was to introduce you to our neighborly Gastly. He's out alot more than the other Gastly are, and much more tame. You'll find that, if you can catch him, he will be a vital addition to your quest."  
  
Before the monk was finished talking, Eric's Slowpoke was out, and looking around in confusion. Not like that was a rare thing.  
  
"Gastly! Come meet our visitors!"  
  
Out of the wall, came a small black ball.. it soon produced two white eyes, with beady little pupils, and a slit for a mouth, in which two fangs slid out, in a vampiric look. It began sprouting an odd purplish smoke, before looking at the trainers before him.  
  
"Gastly, these trainers would like to try to capture you," Li informed the Pokemon, releasing his hands from their grip on each other. "I'm sure you'll find them most interesting to fight.."  
  
----------  
  
End Chapter 4 


	5. Chapter 5

Warning: A potentially violent chapter. Probably not for the weak of stomach.  
  
-----  
  
The Gastly looked from trainer to trainer, as if it had just woke up, and let out a yawn of boredom. "Gast."  
  
Eric's Pokedex was quickly retrieved from his pocket, pointing it at the purplish form hovering infront of them. ~"Gastly, a Gas Pokemon. This Pokemon can float through most any wall to reach whatever it desires on the other side. Its Lick attack can paralyze, and is an attack to watch out for."~ A few buttons were pressed. Vital stats for Gastly popped up onto the small screen, as a fake picture of a Gastly floated around in the background, next to an average sized person.  
  
[Name: Gastly]  
  
[Type: Ghost/Poison]  
  
[Weight: 0.5 lbs.]  
  
[Height: 8 inches]  
  
[Trainer Tips: The Gastly is an elusive Pokemon, usually only found where mass amounts of Pokemon pass away, but some Gastly have been known to leave their graveyards at night, or to cause trouble.]  
  
"Perfect. Poison is weak against.." Eric thought for a moment, trying to recall. "Ground, Rock, Psychic.. Aha!"  
  
The tell-tale Pokeball was produced from his pocket, enlarged, and thrown to the ground. In a beam of red light, the Pokemon inside formed into a lazy, pinkish form.. Slowpoke. The Gastly's eyes opened in amusement, and it grinned, floating around the slow Pokemon.  
  
"Slowpoke, you know the drill! Confusion!" the determined trainer commanded his Pokemon. Slowpoke turned towards the Gastly, and took a deep breath, before firing a small stream of water right into the Gastly's face. As if the tower had swayed, both Eugene and Mistral fell onto their sides with a sickening *THUD!*. "You guys okay?"  
  
The Gastly looked a bit dazed, but a glint in its eyes showed that it was using its Hypnosis move in retaliation. The Slowpoke let out a yawn, but didn't seem to be phased by the hypnotism. The Gastly moved in, tongue out, to give the Slowpoke a good lick.  
  
"Don't let it lick you, Slowpoke. Just use CONFUSION this time!" Eric commanded the Pokemon again. It turned a bit towards the Gastly again, and glowed in an array of colors. Slurp! The Gastly let out a howl of delight, as the intended Lick attack hit the opponant. Much to the surprise of the ghost, the attack didn't seem to have much of an effect on a Pokemon that takes a few minutes to even feel pain, and without much warning, was slammed with the deadly Confusion attack. It began to float around in circles, looking positively confused.  
  
A free Pokeball was produced from Eric's pocket, and enlarged, "Hope this works..". With a flick of his wrist, the Pokeball flew towards its intended target.. and missed, as the Gastly took a dive to the floor in its confusion. WHAM! Eric had forgotten Li was even watching the battle, and, as it looked, Li was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lying on his side, he twitched involuntarily, the Pokeball rolling to the floor from the indent it had left in his head.  
  
"Ah, er.. sorry 'bout that," Eric grinned sheepishly, hopping over the Gastly to reach his Pokeball. "Let's try again." With another grunt of effort, the Pokeball was flung again.. and it hit its mark. The Gastly let out a howl of surprise, before disappearing into the Pokeball in a beam of red light. The ball hit the wood floor with a clatter, and shook momentarily. A 'ding' resounded through the relatively quiet room, finalizing the capturing process. The Gastly was now his to keep.  
  
Li made his way up from the floor, clapping his hands, looking dazed from the hit he had taken in the head. "Well, you suffered a few hardships, but I think you'll do quite well against Falkner, now."  
  
"Thanks," Eric replied, glancing back at the other two trainers. "Now, we'll be on our way.."  
  
"Not so fast," Li smiled, sitting down. "Let us meditate, so that our minds will be clear of distraction before your first Gym battle."  
  
Mistral leaned towards Eugene, and nudged him in the side gently. "It'll take alot of meditating to clear HIS head.."  
  
Eugene gave a snicker, sitting down.  
  
-----  
  
"That had to be the most pointless ordeal in my life. How long were we in there?" Eric asked, as he closed the door to Sprout Tower when the other two had passed the door. The door was summarily locked, as the day was beginning to come to a close. "5 minutes."  
  
"Seemed like an hour. Now, let's head for the Gym.."  
  
"Well, not so fast, Eric," Eugene said, folding his arms across his chest in the usual way he does when he's got attention on him. "Your Gastly is injured and confused, as is your Slowpoke. If you want to beat Falkner with such weak Pokemon, you'll need--"  
  
Eric punched him in the shoulder, looking aggrevated. "They are NOT weak."  
  
Eugene's own fist dug into the top of Eric's skull, causing him to fall over, rubbing his head. "I'm not finished yet. We can go to the Pokemon Center, have them do a last minute heal, return to the Gym, and battle Falkner."  
  
Still rubbing his head, Eric lifted himself from the ground. Again, Mistral had made herself as scarce as possible.. when the two male trainers talked, it was generally interesting. And, besides, Eugene wasn't afraid to knock the shorter trainer around. "Yeah. I suppose so."  
  
-----  
  
The Pokemon Center's doors swooshed open, allowing them into the air conditioned building. The building was half-full with trainers using the center to stay the night, all talking about the Pokemon they had caught, and the battles they had won. Eric longed to join them, to brag with the braggers, but he was reminded about his current status when he was elbowed in the back by Mistral. The Pidgeotto sitting on his shoulder ruffled its feathers, as if annoyed. "Ow. Alright, okay. I'm going."  
  
"Welcome to the Pokemon Center. Will you be spending the night with us?" Nurse Joy smiled, as the three trainers approached her desk, Pokeballs in hand. "Can you put these away for the night, and heal them whenever you find the time?" Mistral asked, smiling, handing over four Pokeballs. Eugene quickly scooped out his own Pokeballs, putting them into a seperate box from Mistral's.  
  
"W-wait, no-one said anything about spending the night here! I wanted to challenge Falkner!" Eric muttered, looking out the window. The sun had only just lowered beneath the horizon, and the trainers seemed to be talking about the sunset for a moment, before returning to the never-dying topic of Pokemon. A Volbeat, tail illuminated, buzzed past the window, and into the nearby trees. The trainers around had stopped their conversation once more, to discuss the fact there were rare Volbeat about.  
  
"There's not much of a choice, Eric. The Gym's closed now, anyways," Mistral informed him, and, looking defeated, Eric deposited his Pokeballs onto the tray, but not before recalling his Pidgeotto. The Nurse Joy stacked the boxes atop each other, smiled at them, and retreated into a back room. A Chansey, dressed with an apron with a large red cross on it, shuffled around with a tray of hot cocoa and various snacks for the trainers. Shutters slowly closed themselves over the windows, as the three trainers took a seat. Eric glanced over to his right, at Mistral, then more still, at Eugene, who had chosen a chair a seat away from Mistral. A glance to his left revealed a brown haired trainer, who chatted with a friend about the recent Volbeat appearance.  
  
"Can you believe it? Volbeat.. here! They're incredibly rare. I hear you can only find them in Hoenn. I bet Professor Elm released some Volbeat and Illumise to see if they'd adept to this environment," the trainer suggested in an excited, but theoretical tone. Eric leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes, trying to drown out the excited mutters of the other trainers.  
  
The world soon went dark, as he slipped off into sleep.  
  
-----  
  
"Aha! Look at what I caught! A shiny Vulpix!" a dark form cackled, arching his back a bit, as if his body couldn't handle the laughing any other way. "We finally have the key!"  
  
Eric seemed so distant. He couldn't make out anything around him, though, if they were buildings, they were certainly much further apart than normal, suggesting that he was in a large city. He could see Kazin, clutched in the arms of the tall, dark form. The Vulpix had a sad look in his eyes.   
  
"Huh?" Eric blinked, confused. Eitherway, he had to help Kazin. He couldn't just let that person whisk him away.. couldn't let his first, though temporary, Pokemon get killed for that sadistic person's own gains. He ran towards the dark form, but before he could reach Kazin, an Onix appeared in his path in a bright flash of light. It let out a growl, and laid out flat, so Eric couldn't get by. "Get outta my way! Mankey, go!"  
  
Eric threw the Pokeball, and it hit the ground, opening. Instead of a Mankey, however, a Goldeen appeared from the ball, flopping around uselessly. "I.. wha.. Kazin! Use a fire attack!"  
  
"Goldeen!" the fish cried, before disappearing underneath the tail of the large Onix. Blood splattered in every direction, and into the young trainers eyes, causing him to fall over, clutching at his eyes. It was like the blood was some kind of acid. It felt like his eyes were being eaten away.. as he opened his eyes, the world was coming out of focus, and disappearing in chunks. The Onix turned towards him, and lowered its head to look straight at Eric.  
  
"Onix.. Kill him," the dark form commanded, letting out a soft chuckle. The Onix reared back its head slowly, and dropped it towards the trainer below him, ready to crush him.  
  
"NO! KAZIN!"  
  
------  
  
"KAZIN!" Eric yelled, lurching forward in his chair. He gasped slightly, having woken out of breath, and covered in a cold sweat. All the trainers had long gone to sleep, and the lobby was dark. The clock on the wall shone brightly, revealing the time. "9 after three," he muttered, bringing up the blanket that had been left over him to wipe the sweat off his face. He slowly made his way to a stand, looking around. One light had been left on near the hallway that connected the lobby to the back rooms, where the Pokemon were treated. He'd have to find the Chansey that helped to get a glass of warm milk to help him get back to sleep.  
  
With a bit of effort, so as not to step on the trainers unfortunate enough to have to sleep on the floor, and not in a comfortable chair (a few were even sleeping on a table), and moved towards the hallway. A computer had been left on, letting out a chime that only someone of Eric's proximity would hear it. He stopped, glancing from the hallway, to the computer. Curiousity gripped at him.. he wanted to get back to sleep, but the computer seemed much more tempting. What kind of trouble could he get himself into by sneaking into business that might not even concern him?  
  
He was already in trouble already, which fueled his curiousity further. Finally, giving in, he moved over to the computer. The words, 'Security Breach' flashed on the computer. Eric's heart began beating heavily, as he moved the mouse to click on the symbol. A small window, obviously live feed from the security cameras set up in the room where the Pokeballs were kept, appeared on the screen. In the corner, Nurse Joy had been tied up, and it looked as though the Chansey was already knocked out.  
  
"W-what.. damn.. who the hell..?" Eric muttered, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest now. His panic was mounting.. several Pokeballs were missing from the racks, and Nurse Joy didn't seem to be concious either. His questions were soon answered, however, as five people filed back into the room, looking over the Pokeballs.  
  
They all wore red garments, flamboyant clothing that suggested some kind of cult following. As if by instinct, Eric brought his hand to his pocket.. he didn't have any Pokemon with him. "Damn! I left them all with Nurse Joy.."  
  
There was only one thing to do. Fight them. Hopefully, his charges would be lifted if he helped out. He took a few moments to prepare himself, before slowly creeping away from the computer towards the hallway. It was brightly lit, allowing him to see where he was going. A junction soon followed, and no signs lead the way anywhere. He peeked around the left corner, then the right.  
  
"I hate guard duty," a voice called out. Eric duck back behind the wall, just as one of the flamboyant burglers turned the corner down the hall he had been looking, followed closely by a second, though, it was a female. "Well, think of it this way. We're both grunts, and, it also gives us time to get closer to each other." There was a hint of seduction to her voice. The sound of cloth pressing against the wall made Eric glance around the corner. The male grunt had pressed the female to the wall, allowing their lips to lock in a passionate kiss. This made things alot easier. He dug into his backpack.. but with a lack of anything hard, he'd have a hard time knocking the two out.  
  
He opened a nearby door, and slinked into it, turning on a light. The room was covered in boxes.. desperate, he picked a nearby one, and ripped it open with his bear hands. Potions, Super Potions, and Hyper Potions were all accumulated in one neat stack in the box. "This doesen't help any, dammit." A second box was torn open. Full Heals, Full Restores, and boxes inside boxes of Lemonades and Soda Pop. "This is a supply room.. There's gotta be something useful here."  
  
He pulled out a third box, opening it like he had the other two. "Finally!" The box was full of tool boxes. He quickly opened the nearest one, and looked through it. "Hammer, screwdriver, nails.. hmm.. aha! This'll work!" A mallet was produced from the toolbox. Eric checked it to make sure it was the hard kind, and moved towards the door, leaving the supply room behind.  
  
"Did you hear something?" the female grunt inquired, glancing around slowly. She sounded out of breath, being deprived of air from having been kissed for so long. Her top was off, and the male grunt resorted to kissing her neck in order to enjoy himself. "Nah. Probably just the others moving boxes. They have tons of healing stuff here."  
  
The female shrugged, and, to Eric's relief, turned back to the kissing. He waited until their eyes were closed, before moving slowly over to the grunts, mallet raised. He got within swinging distance, and aimed for the head of the male.. CLONK! Even though it wasn't a heavy swing, it was enough to knock out the grunt. The female opened her eyes, looking down at the male in shock. "Tim? Tim?" The female glanced over at Eric, her eyes filling with terror. Her eyes seemed to bore into his.. he wasn't quite sure it was the fact he was watching her while she was half-naked, or the fact that he had a mallet in hand, intent on knocking her out. Before he could do anything, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she fainted, hitting the ground with a thump.  
  
"Well, that was easy." Eric stooped over, trying not to become distracted, as he pulled two Pokeballs (one from each) of the two grunts. Though he had no idea what kind of Pokemon were inside, he was sure they wouldn't be incompetent if a group of burglers were running the show. He slinked down the hall, following the muttering of voices, and the sound of boxes as they were lifted. "Hurry up with that one, grunt. That's an order. Double time," a voice instructed, commanding obedience. Perhaps the leader.  
  
Recklessly, Eric turned down the hall, where the red burglers were preparing to wheel a small cart down the hall. The boxes, he supposed, were loaded with the Pokeballs they had stolen. "Hey. Look. It's some kid. I thought you said you put sleep powder into that cocoa," the more dressed red person spoke. He recognized the voice.. it was the person who had been giving the orders. "I did. I dunno if this kid drank any or not!"  
  
Mistral and Eugene had both accepted a cup, as Eric remembered, but he had turned down the offer, as he wasn't thirsty. The Chansey looked disappointed that he wouldn't take any, but had walked off, towards other trainers who were waiting for their turn. "Well, it doesen't matter. We're just gonna have to get him outta the way."  
  
WHAM! Eric was quick to throw the Pokeball in his right hand. It smacked hard against the higher ranking person's head, who promptly fell over, coughing up blood. In a flash of red light, a Pokemon appeared from its Pokeball.. a Magmar. It stretched a bit, as if it hadn't been out of its ball for a while, and looked towards Eric.  
  
Eric had no time to use his Pokedex. Precious seconds were passing, and the other members were quickly reaching for their Pokeballs. "Magmar, use a fire attack!"  
  
The Magmar gave him an odd look, turned towards the three people, and began to let out a stream of fire. It took a few streams, but soon, all three of them were on fire, rolling all over each other to get put out. Their screams filled the halls, but he didn't pay attention. Eric dropped his mallet, and the other Pokeball in his left hand, and walked past the cart, into the other room. No-one was inside, but the Chansey, and Nurse Joy. However, Joy had long since come around, and witnessed the fire taking down the human trainers. Her eyes were wide with fear, much like the female grunt from before, as Eric approached her. He knelt over, and untied her bonds with a bit of trouble. Joy took off the tape from her mouth.  
  
"You okay?" Eric asked, standing as Nurse Joy made a wobbily stand. "Y- yeah. I'm fine," Nurse Joy studdered, looking positively shaken. "They've p- probably already loaded the other Pokemon into t-the truck they c-came in here in. Y-you should hurry and catch them."  
  
Eric nodded. "Can you find my Pokemon? Or..?"  
  
"I c-couldn't find them now w-without a good ten minutes. Use that M-magmar and get them, okay?" Nurse Joy moved to a sitting position, putting a hand to her head. Eric nodded, and moved out into the hallway. The three grunts, except for the higher ranked one, weren't breathing. Eric couldn't tell if their chests were moving or not.. it seemed as though the fire had taken its toll, and had burned them to their deaths. There would be no more mercy tonight.  
  
"Magmar. C'mon. We got one more thing to do."  
  
The Magmar hopped over the potentially dead bodies, confused about the situation, and chased after Eric as he made his way out the back. "What the?! Get outta here, quick! We got most of them. Let's go!" A higher ranking officer realized the severity of the situation, and leapt into the passenger seat.  
  
"Magmar! Use that Flamethrower attack on them again!" Eric pointed at the truck. The Magmar nodded, and hopped forward, using the same attack he had used on the others. The truck began to speed off, but, as the flames hit the truck, the tire popped, and the sudden shift of weight caused the truck to tip over onto its side. It skidded for a few meters, then stopped. Eric ran over to the truck, and opened the door, being careful, as the latch was super-heated from the Magmar's fire attack.  
  
Inside, two grunts were slumped against the truck, bleeding profusely from the head. One seemed to have a broken arm, and a bit of blood was trickling down from where one grunts head had impacted with the wall of the truck. However, several boxes were still inside, and Pokeballs were all over the truck from a box that had opened when the truck had tipped onto its side.  
  
Eric slowly moved to a sit, lowering his head slowly. He had resulted to drastic measures to stop petty criminals.. if he had his own Pokemon, there might not have been any casualties. This realization sunk in quickly, and the young trainer rested his head in his hands, closing his eyes. He hadn't even given them a chance to defend themselves with their own Pokemon. He had run through, and slaughtered them.. he was a murderer. He had burned them all to death.. or otherwise.  
  
"What have I done....?"  
  
-------  
  
End Chapter 5 


	6. Chapter 6

"It's a beautiful morning in Johto. It's seventy-five degrees here in Blackthorn City, and it's currently twelve o'clock. Before we get to the main story, let's go to our weatherman, and check out the weather predicted for Johto today. Professor?" the young lady smiled, turning to her right to look at the white-dressed professor. A peculiar looking Pokemon hovered besides the Professor.. it seemed to look like a ghost, but it was grey, with a white mask over its face.  
  
"Thank you, Pam. Well, today Johto can expect some shattered showers around Violet City and Mahogany Town," the Professor began. As he continued, a purplish Pokemon slinked onto the table behind him, and, with a poof, turned into a full-sized map of Johto. The grey Pokemon floated up inbetween Violet City and Mahogany Town, and its head disturbingly changed into what looked like a raindrop. "Which means that Ecruteak City can expect some showers as well. Other than that, the seas are moderately choppy, for those of you planning on Surfing to Kanto or Hoenn, so you can expect less Tentacool attacks until the late afternoon. Thank you, Castform, Ditto. Back to you, Pam."  
  
The professor smiled over at Pam, who gave a smile back. "Thank you, Professor. Well, breaking news. Team Magma, a group that supposedly got its ideas from our own Team Rocket, have shown up in Johto, and weren't lagging in their first attack. The Violet City Pokemon Center was broken into last night, and Team Magma didn't waste their time trying to steal Pokeballs. Their plan would've worked, if a lone trainer using a Magmar hadn't stopped them."  
  
A tall, handsome looking man in a grey suit took a seat next to Pam, smiling ahead of him. "Yes. We don't have any footage, but, currently, the trainer is also being charged with several counts of murder. Though, many trainers are grateful that their Pokemon were saved, since all the Pokeballs were recovered, the only trace of the trainer that had saved the day left was the Magmar sitting next to its supposed trainer, a Team Magma grunt."  
  
"One Magma grunt was taken in for questioning, a female and a higher ranking officer, the only two survivors of the brutal attack. Officer Jenny has promised to the public that the murderer will be caught, and that, because he saved thousands of Pokemon from being stolen, would lessen the charges considerably," Pam continued for the man, shifting a few papers, smiling. "In other news, Professors are pointing out a considerable swarm of Sandshrew in Union Cave. If you've been looking to add a Sandshrew to your collection, then this is a good time and place to go. Professors believe that the swarm could last all day, and ..."  
  
The female reporters voice faded away, as a feminine hand set down plates infront of the three trainers seated at a corner table. "There ya go, darlin'," the older woman smiled, shuffling off to take another trainers orders.  
  
Eric picked up his fork, slowly prodding gently at the eggs on his plate. His eyes held a blank stare, almost as if he had expected the eggs to get up and accuse him, loudly, of murderering fellow trainers, burglers or not. Eugene didn't seem phased by the news, and Eric's story, and so dug into his food. Mistral had a look of intense worry in her eyes, and she looked as though she hadn't bathed or gotten any sleep for a good couple of days.  
  
Finally, Mistral broke the silence. "Listen, you did what you had to do. It wasn't your fault. They would've done the same thing to you.. they were Team Magma. That would've been you dead if you hadn't reacted like you did."  
  
"Yeah. I suppose so." Eric seemed to search for more words to say, but stopped himself short, shoveling a fork full of egg into his mouth.  
  
Mistral gave a sigh of defeat, eating at her own food for a moment, before looking up, her eyes wide. "Hey! I heard they have public baths here, and they're really hot, and good for the body. After that whole ordeal last night, you deserve it. I'll even pay for our ways in. How does that sound?"  
  
"You're paying? Sounds good," Eugene muttered, downing the last of his orange juice.  
  
------  
  
Just as Mistral had suggested, the public baths were not only there, but empty, with the exception of a few feminine types, who retreated to the female side of the public baths. Donning swimming suits, both Eric and Eugene climbed into the large, male side of the baths, breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
"Nothin' like hot water to calm the muscles, eh, Eric?" Eugene suggested, closing his eyes. He leaned back against the side of the pool. "Yeah. I guess so. I'm certainly feeling alot better, but.." Eric stopped his sentence, again, at a loss for words.  
  
"But?"  
  
"That was an experience that just doesen't melt away with the warm water of public baths, you know," Eric sighed, submerging all of his body with the exception of his head. He almost felt like dunking his head under the water, and never coming back up.  
  
Mistral climbed over the artificial mounds of dirt to come over the male side, much to the surprise of the females already inhabiting the female side. The Diglett that were in the mountain of dirt popped up to see who was sifting the dirt and plants. With a splah, Mistral slid in, to get the dirt off her body.  
  
"You know, there's a reason why this is a public bath house, and there's one side for females, and one side for males," Eugene pointed out, opening his eyes, travelling to the bikini-clad female trainer.  
  
She giggled a bit, submerging up to her shoulders. "Since when did you start complaining about a female in a bikini being near you?"  
  
"Point well taken," Eugene shrugged in response, leaning back against the wall again.  
  
"How're you doing now, Eric?" Mistral asked, swimming slowly over to Eric, who was on the complete other side of the pool, across from Eugene.  
  
Eric opened his eyes, looking over at Mistral, quirking an eyebrow. She looked better with her hair down. It reminded him of the female Team Magma grunt that had fainted, just with different color hair. It made his stomach do a flip, which he contained to himself. "Fine, I suppose. Fine enough to take on Falkner."  
  
"He's cured!" Mistral yelled suddenly, raising her hands as if to signal a touch-down had been scored. "I figure if you're still rearing to take Falkner head-on, then you're alright, now."  
  
With a shrug, Eric looked away from Mistral, prompting her to swim closer. "I'm not exactly what you'd call, cured."  
  
"Oh, please. You're going to let a little thing like beating up a few Team Magma members let you down?" Mistral asked, stopping right next to him. "Well.. no," Eric shrugged again in reply, glancing over at her. "But, I know the perfect way to start feeling better. I just need your help."  
  
"'zat so? Alright. Let's hear it, then!" Mistral smiled, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
Sploosh! In the blink of an eye, Eric had put both hands over Mistral's head, and dunked her underwater. Her arms flailed, stirring up a Magikarp which had been swimming along over the deep end. Eric jumped back, releasing her, and she came up, the top of her head breaking the water. Her eyes seemed white, almost.. evil.. and were those fangs sprouting from her mouth?  
  
"Don't you ever!" *BAP!* "Do that!" *BAP!* "Again!" *BAP BAP BAP!*  
  
"Aiyah! Alright! Alright! Sorry!" Eric half-grumbled, half-laughed, rubbing his head in an attempt to dull the pain. His head seemed to be the target for everyones fist. Mistral took a few deep breaths, glancing over at Eugene, who was beside himself with laughter. "And what're YOU laughing at?!"  
  
Eugene took a deep breath to control the laughter, brought his palms together infront of him as if to pray, and looked towards the heavens. "Oh, nothing."  
  
It only took Mistral a few seconds to realize that it wasn't a murder attempt, and only a joke, and she, herself, began laughing. At this point, several of the female trainers from the other side had joined the Diglett in watching the three trainers. "Well, apology accepted, then," she smiled over at the two of them. "Let's get Eric that Zephyr Badge!"  
  
-----  
  
The inside of Falkner's Gym was covered in a bright green grass, which seemed to sway in a gentle wind. It was simply a few fans built into the walls, running high enough to make the breeze, which gave Falkner an advantage, when the wind shifted in his favor. His two disciples were busy tending to their own Pokemon, which had been beaten only previously by a trainer that had passed them on their way in, a look of disappointment on his face. Eric crossed to his side of the Gym, and pointed over at Falkner, who was busy administering a Super Potion to his Spearow. "Falkner, I challenge you for the Zephyr Badge!"  
  
This would be perfect. He didn't have to fight Falkner's disciples, and the trainer before him had worn down whatever Pokemon that the Gym Leader had.  
  
"I accept your challenge, rogue trainer," Falkner grinned, slowly standing up, throwing the Super Potion behind him, since it had been all used. The bottle bounced off the ground, and rested near the back door to the gym. "Let's see.. three Pokemon each?"  
  
"Fine by me. Let's get started." Eric dug into his pocket, pulled out three choice Pokeballs, and selected one from his three to use first.  
  
"When you're ready. Go, Spearow!" Falkner commanded in a loud voice, pointing towards Eric. The Spearow took flight, flapping its small wings to keep itself from falling. Eric noticed this, and quickly threw the first selected Pokeball. It hit the grass with a thump, and opened up, letting the Pokemon out in a red light. He caught the opened Pokeball, just as the red light formed into none other than a Slowpoke.  
  
Again, as if gravity had shifted in the wrong direction, both Eugene and Mistral fell over with a sigh. Maybe their balance was off.. this didn't stop Eric from pulling out his Pokedex, though, scanning the Spearow..  
  
~"Spearow, a bird Pokemon. Unlike the Pidgey, the Spearow, and its evolved form, Fearow, are much more aggressive. They're also more territorial, and trainers have been known to become seriously injured for stirring up large amounts of these Pokemon while they nest in their trees."~  
  
"Spearow! Quick Attack!" Falkner commanded, looking confident. A pre- emptive strike before Eric's Pokemon could recieve its own commands.The Spearow let out a caw, and dove towards the Slowpoke, slamming into it hard. The Slowpoke fell back, doing a little flip from the impact, landing on its side. The grass was soft enough to cushion its fall. It clambered back to its feet, and looked up at the Spearow.  
  
"Slowpoke, Water Gun!"  
  
The Slowpoke took a few moments to register the attack, before taking a deep breath, releasing a thin stream of water up at the Spearow. It strafed to the left, avoiding it narrowly, before strafing right again, to avoid another one. However, the last one hit, which the Spearow hadn't been expecting so soon from the slow pokemon. It struggled to stay in the air with the water dragging it down, now. "Alright! Slowpoke, Confusion!"  
  
The Slowpoke glowed gently, taking a step towards the Spearow. As if hit by an invisible force, the Spearow flew off, hitting the wall right next to one of the fans, falling to the ground. Its pupils were replaced with swirls, as it was not only confused, but water logged, and couldn't go on any longer. It was recalled into its Pokeball, and Falkner pulled another from his belt.  
  
"Good show, rogue trainer! Not too shabby for a trainer who can hardly recognize a Pokemon!" Falkner grinned again. Eric allowed the insults to bounce off him, too determined now, to become distracted. "Go, Pidgey!"  
  
Out of the new Pokeball, came a form Eric recognized. A Pidgey. No need to use the Pokedex this time. He shoved it back into his pocket. "Slowpoke, use Amnesia!"  
  
He didn't have to tell the Slowpoke twice. It seemed that Amnesia was his favorite attack. "Slowww.." Its eyes took on a blank look, and a question mark appeared over its head. Eric didn't need a mental link with the Slowpoke to hear what it was thinking.. he could've guessed it was somewhere around the lines of 'Where am I?'.  
  
"Pidgey! Sand Attack!"  
  
The Pidgey flapped its wings quickly, disturbing the ground. Soon, sand began to dislodge itself from the ground, flying into the Slowpoke's eyes, causing it to close them to keep out any more sand. "Hmm.. Slowpoke, use Confusion! Feel out where the Pidgey is!"  
  
"Not so fast! Pidgey, use Mudslap!"  
  
Mudslap? Eric had never heard of that attack. The Pidgey dove down towards a wet patch of ground from the Spearow's battle, dug up a good amount of mud and grass from the floor, and, with effort, flung them towards the Slowpoke. Just as the Slowpoke began to glow with power, it took the hits, flying back into Eric, who caught the dopey Pokemon to save it. It was covered in mud, and had certainly seen better days.  
  
"Slowpoke, return!" The Slowpoke disappeared into its Pokeball, turning into the red energy before doing so. "Alright. Pidgeotto, it's your game!"  
  
Much to Falkner's surprise, out of the Pokeball came a fully grown Pidgeotto. It looked strong, and much larger, as compared to Falkner's Pidgey, who stared up at its much larger superior. "Pidgeotto, use Gust!"  
  
The powerful Pidgeotto lifted off the ground, and began flapping its large, powerful wings. The Pidgey gripped the ground, bracing itself against the slowly quickening winds.. but it couldn't hold on for long. Even Falkner was having a hard time holding his ground. The Pidgey flew back, and slammed right into Falkner, sending both man and Pokemon flying back, skidding along the ground.  
  
"Wow.. what an attack. I'm envious of how powerful that Pidgeotto is. You would make an excellent disciple," Falkner offered, slowly getting to his feet. He recalled his Pidgey, pulling out his third and last Pokeball. "How about it, rogue trainer? We can get those theft charges off you, and you can learn valuable skills to use against the Pokemon Leagues of Johto and Kanto.."  
  
"No thanks. I can learn more on the road," Eric grinned, patting the Pidgeotto as it landed on its shoulder.  
  
The Pidgeotto thought, looking down upon his trainer.  
  
Eric replied, grinning. The Pidgeotto nodded, nipped his ear affectionately, and took back off into the air.  
  
"What a shame. Well, then, let's wrap this battle up. Pidgeotto, I choose you!" Falkner commanded, throwing his last Pokeball. It hit the ground, and, in a similar manner to Eric's summoning, it came out of its Pokeball, pecking the ground daintily. "Pidgeotto, use Mud Slap! Get some mud into that Pidgeotto's eyes!"  
  
"Use Quick Attack, Pidgeotto! Dodge the attack!" Eric commanded. Falkner's Pidgeotto dug up some mud in a similar manner to the Pidgey, and threw it mercilessly towards the opponant.. Eric's Pidgeotto turned into a blur, the mud passing where he might have been seconds earlier. Eric's Pidgeotto barely missed Falkner's, as it took flight. Grass and mud went flying in every direction, as Eric's took flight again, only to barely miss.  
  
Falkner laughed, shaking his head. "Disciples, view now what a true flying Pokemon is.. this Pidgeotto is highly trained. I would've expected such an incompetent trainer to use the wrong Pokemon. I am quite impressed.. But now isan't the time for games. Pidgeotto, Whirlwind!"  
  
Much in the manner of the previous Gust attack used by Eric's Pidgeotto, Falkner's flapped its wings quickly, summoning a whirlwind.. the fans on all sides of the Gym began to creak noisely, as the wind hit them. Eric's Pidgeotto hit the ground next to him, looking defeated.. the wind was too much for it. "Damn. Nice try, Pidgeotto.. return."  
  
The Pidgeotto disappeared into its Pokeball, and he shoved it into his pocket. It was the last Pokemon he could use, now.  
  
"Go, Gastly!"  
  
Falkner's face suddenly went from amused, to rock-hard, and emotionless.. this would be a problem. Gastly's were hard to hit, especially for a physical Pokemon like his Pidgeotto. The Pokeball opened, to reveal Falkner's last adversary.. a gaseous ball of purple, with menacing looking fangs, and large eyes. "Gastly, use Lick!"  
  
The Gastly obeyed, and disappeared, leaving the Pidgeotto in mid-air to glance about in confusion. It wasn't everyday your opponant disappeared without much warning.. slurp! Out of nowhere, the Gastly reappeared next to the Pidgeotto, giving it a good lick with its long tongue. The Pidgeotto shivered, and struggled to keep itself in the air. "Pidgeotto! Get away from the Gastly, and blow it away with your Whirlwind!"  
  
The Pidgeotto struggled to get away from the Gastly, who laughed in a vampiric-like voice, awaitings its next order.  
  
"You've got it paralyzed. Let's end it! Use Mean Look, then hit him with Nightshade!" Eric commanded, clenching his fist, knowing that victory was only a few attacks away. The Gastly narrowed its eyes, giving the Pidgeotto a pretty nasty look, causing the Pidgeotto to freeze in place, only his wings keeping him afloat.  
  
"Pidgeotto! Move!"  
  
The area around the Pidgeotto turned as dark as night, and the Gastly moved in for the kill. It disappeared into the darkness, and the Pidgeotto let out a squeak of fear, before falling away from the Gastly.. it hit the ground next to its trainer, and didn't move, except when it breathed.  
  
One of the disciples who had been judging the match lifted a small green flag towards Eric. "Eric Malone is the winnah! Congratulations, Eric!"  
  
Both Eugene and Mistral, who had been holding their breath in suspense, let out a cheer. Mistral flung her arms around Eric's neck, jumping up and down, unable to contain herself. "Awesome, awesome! Maybe you're not as bad of a trainer as I thought you were! You handled that Slowpoke so well.. Professor Elm would be proud, I just know it!"  
  
Eugene simply gave Eric a pat on the shoulder, which was all the congratulations he needed.  
  
"Congratulations, Eric," Falkner smiled, moving across the grass, a small black box in hand. Eric noticed, Falkner had stopped calling him 'rogue trainer'. "Please, accept this Zephyr Badge, and this TM. It contains Mud Slap. It's a good attack."  
  
Eric brought his hand out, and scooped up both the Zephyr Badge, and the TM. He pocketed the TM, and looked up at his new Zephyr Badge. Only a handful of Gyms left. A larger black box was shoved into Eric's free hand, another gift from Falkner. "And if you weren't legally given your Pokedex, then you'll need this. It will carry your Pokemon Badges."  
  
"Thanks," Eric nodded, giving Falkner a smile. He placed his new Zephyr Badge into the box, and slid the box into his backpack, where it would be safer.  
  
"Take care of your Pidgeotto. Make it evolve into a Pidgeot, and come back and see me sometime. I'd love to see how your Pokemon turn out," Falkner grinned, turning on his heel, heading back towards his downed Pdigeotto.  
  
Mistral released her arms from Eric's shoulders, and moved alongside him, as he left the Pokemon Gym, unable to contain her happiness.  
  
"I was impressed back there, Eric," Eugene commented at last, as they began heading down south, towards Route 32. The sun shone brightly, and not a cloud was in the sky. It seemed as though the weather was congratulating Eric in its own way. "I know now why I chose you for a rival.. if i'm to defeat you in battle, i'll want to train harder. Unfortunately, to do that, we must part."  
  
Eugene held out a hand towards Eric, who glanced down at it. He took it, giving it a few hardy shakes. "Make sure to catch many more Pokemon, make them strong. We will meet again."  
  
With that, Eugene turned, heading down a side street for Route 36. Both Mistral and Eric waved after him, until he was gone, and then continued their own way towards Route 32.  
  
"Mistral, how come you didn't try for your own Zephyr Badge?" Eric asked, looking over at her, curiousity in his words.  
  
"I'm not interested in defeating Leagues and becoming a Master. I just want to catch Pokemon, and train them," Mistral answered, shrugging slightly, blushing. She looked quite sheepish. "Well, I DO have the Zephyr Badge.. but that was from a long time ago. I had alot of help.. but after I saw just how aspired you were, I decided to simply come along and give you advice."  
  
Eric gave a nod, looking towards the road. A sign they passed read 'Route 32'. "Thanks.."  
  
He had a feeling the weather would stay sunny all day..  
  
-------  
  
End Chapter 6 


	7. Chapter 7

Tongues of lightning licked the stormy skies, as both Mistral and Eric ran for shelter from the fierce storm raging over their heads. The rain was atrocious, and it came down in sheets, drenching both of them to the bone in relatively little time. Hadn't the weatherman said the rain was going to be sparce? A few other trainers just like them were also running for shelter from the pouring rain. Luckily, at the very southern edge of the route, there was a Pokemon Center, probably erected for weary travellers, or perhaps for the scientists camped at the Ruins of Alph.  
  
It didn't matter who it was for, but it was open to everyone, and alot of people were grateful for that. The doors to the Pokemon Center swished open as they approached, allowing them entrance into the warm sanctuary. The Chansey of the center was giving out warm towels to those that were coming in, and both Mistral and Eric accepted them gratefully. The few trainers that were inside were not only drenched, but were conversing about the days events. Probably to take their mind off the pouring rain.  
  
Eric and Mistral took a seat at one of the tables set up with soft cushions instead of chairs, using the towels to dry their hair and clothes off.  
  
"That storm popped up pretty suddenly," Mistral commented, moving the towel away from her hair. She looked like she had been shocked by a Pichu, as her hair was now flying in every direction. Eric couldn't help but laugh. "I mean, there wasn't a cloud in the sky until we started hunting for Pokemon.."  
  
"Yeah. Well, some things can't be helped. We'll just wait here until the storm subsides, then head for the Ruins of Alph, cut through, and go through Union Cave. Then we should be in Azalea Town in no time," Eric shrugged, using the towel in a vain attempt to dry off his shirt. The Nurse Joy of the center stepped over to them, kneeling down next to their table. "Do either of you have any injured Pokemon? This storm doesen't show signs of letting up anytime soon."  
  
Eric pulled out the three Pokemon he had used against Falkner, and handed them over to Joy, while Mistral handed over her Cyndaquil, which she had used to knock out a Hoppip they had found earlier, basking in the sun beneath the tall grasses. Eric had to point out that the Pokeball wasn't working, because the Pokemon was knocked out.  
  
Nurse Joy smiled at the two, and shuffled off, Pokeballs in hand. "So," Eric smiled, trying to start conversation. "We can always find another Hoppip, if you're so eager for a Grass Pokemon."  
  
"Yup. Mind if I see your Pokedex for a moment?" Mistral inquired, holding out her hand. With a shrug, he pulled out his Pokedex, placing it into her hand. She opened it up, and pressed a few buttons, obviously looking up information on Hoppip and their evolutionary line.. he could tell because she was studying their cries, and the Pokedex chimed out the entry for them whenever she asked it to.  
  
"Whadda storm, ya?" a voice chimed happily to Eric's left. A quick glance revealed that a junior trainer had moved over to them, and sat down. "Ya. We don't get storms like this over in Hoenn."  
  
This peaked Eric's interest. His eyes wandered from Mistral (who was still toying with the Pokedex), to the junior trainer. He was still relatively soaked, but he had a bug net strapped to his back. "You're from Hoenn?"  
  
"Ya! You been there before? There are tons of new Pokemon here," the junior trainer smiled up at him. "Daddy says he can hardly buy enough Pokeballs for all the Pokemon I keep catching, hehe."  
  
"No. I've never.. been there before. Planning on it after I conquer Johto and Kanto," Eric replied, looking back over at Mistral. "Things are just going a bit slow. Rainstorms tend to slow down the badge earning process.."  
  
The junior trainer perked up at the thought of conversation. "Ha! You sound confident in yourself, ya. Daddy says to be more confident in myself and my Pokemon. I lose lotsa battles out here, but I don't mind."  
  
"That's the spirit, though. Confidence," Mistral called over the Pokedex, smiling down at the red piece of plastic, as if it would convey her smile towards the smaller trainer. "Confidence in your abilities. I'm sure you have some kind of advantage, anyways, with all the Pokemon you have from Hoenn."  
  
"Ya. I scare most of the trainers I fight, hehe."  
  
"Why's that?" Eric inquired, leaning his elbow on the table, resting his chin upon it. His eyes wandered over to the junior trainer, waiting for the answer. The junior trainer gave a smile up at him, and pulled out a Pokeball. "Lairon. No one expects him. He's my favorite."  
  
As soon as the junior trainer mentioned Lairon, Mistral moved from her Hoppip evolution study, to the Lairon. ~"Lairon, a steel-rock Pokemon. Said to be a different branch of the Rhyhorn evolution line, these Pokemon can last a long time in battle, with its thick metal armor."~  
  
"I can see why," Mistral looked up, smiling. "So, what's your name, anyways, little guy?"  
  
"You can call me Edd," the trainer smiled again. "I don't have many friends, so I wander around with my daddy, and catch all sorts of Pokemon. I make alot of trainers jealous."  
  
"By catching all kinds of different Pokemon?" Eric questioned, glancing over at Edd. "Or by having so many?"  
  
Edd shrugged, rolling the Pokeball around on the table. "Daddy took me to Victory Road once, and he helped me catch all sorts of high level Pokemon. I have a Kadabra, but he doesen't like listening to me."  
  
"Wow. A Kadabra, huh?" Mistral looked down at the Pokedex, pressing a few buttons. ~"Kadabra, a psychic Pokemon. One of the strongest psychics, the alpha waves it emits can sometimes cause the weak minded headaches."~ "Sounds powerful to me. Why doesen't he follow your orders?"  
  
"Daddy says it's because I don't have a strong will, but I looked up information. It's because I don't have the right badges, that's why," Edd responded, shrugging again. "But it might be both."  
  
Lightning cracked through the forest not too far away, causing most of the trainers to jump in surprise, as the thunder crashed over the Pokemon Center. "Phew. That was pretty close.." Eric muttered, glancing out over the forest. Movement caught the corner of his eye, and he quickly turned to see if he could find what it was.. but no luck. "Did you guys just see something move out in the forest?"  
  
"I wouldn't worry about it too much. I bet it was a Growlithe or something," Mistral answered, sliding the Pokedex back over to Eric. He scooped it up, and pocketed it, looking back over at the forest, where he had seen the movement.. again, something streaked past his eyesight.  
  
"There it was again! I'm telling you, that's no Growlithe. It's more like an Arcanine," Eric muttered, slowly making his way to a stand. Lightning struck once more, this time closer, and the rain got even heavier. As the rumbling subsided, two large forms crept slowly from the brush at the edge of the forest, watching the Pokemon Center. Eric slowly got to his feet, pressing himself against the windows that lined near the door to the center to get a better look. "What kind of Pokemon is that?"  
  
The two Pokemon glanced at each other. One was a brilliant yellow, with black stripes covering its body. It had a white mane, and a large tuft of purple hair growing out of its neck. The second stood slightly higher than the other, and shone in what little light there was issuing from the clouds, and from the lightning. It had longer purple hair issuring from its back, and seemed to be followed by strands of blue cloth. Unlike the yellow Pokemon, the blue one didn't have fangs.  
  
"Aiyah! Wouldja look at that, ya?! Legendary Pokemon!" Edd chimed, moving up next to Eric, pressing his face against the glass. "Out in public! Who woulda thought?!"  
  
"Which Pokemon are they? Aren't there supposed to be alot of Legendary Pokemon?" Mistral asked, moving up next to them as well. The two Pokemon seemed ready to dart back into the bushes, but Eric moved as quick as he could to get his Pokedex out, and point it at the two Pokemon on the outskirts of the forest.  
  
"Only a handful," Edd commented, looking up at the Pokedex. "No-one's been able to catch a Legendary Pokemon.."  
  
~"Suicune, a Legendary Pokemon. Legend has it that whenever Suicune is in the area, a violent rainstorm or hailstorm rages. Very few have viewed this Pokemon for long."~  
  
"Suicune! Wow!" Mistral chimed, glittery eyed. The Suicune retreated into the bushes. Eric quickly pointed the Pokedex at the first Pokemon. ~"Raikou, a Legendary Pokemon. It's said that the area around this Pokemon is inhabited by static electricity, but no-one has seen it long enough to tell."~  
  
"I had heard legends of Suicune, but I can't say i've heard a thing about Raikou," Mistral sighed, sitting on the table behind her, as the Pokemon retreated into the brush. Like a rocket, the Raikou was gone from sight, even through the trees. No sooner than had the Pokemon retreated into the forest, than the rainclouds disappeared, causing the sunlight to cover the now-wet ground. "Isan't there supposed to be a third?"  
  
Eric gave a shrug, looking down at the Pokedex. "I dunno. But i've got the information on the two.. and it looks like this thing is keeping track of where they're going.. man, they're fast. They've already passed Azalea.."  
  
"You're that rogue trainer, ya?" Edd inquired, tugging on Eric's still wet shirt. "If I were you, i'd be more careful about where you keep that Pokedex. If it gets taken back, they'll either erase the data, or use it to track them and capture them."  
  
The door swooshed open, as Eric stepped outside, moving towards the bushes where the two Legendary Pokemon appeared. Mistral and Edd followed closely, stopping as he knelt over, looking at the brush. One was covered in ice, and the other, the leaves were black. "Yeah.. I'll remember that.."  
  
------  
  
"The Ruins of Alph have been roped off to all public entrance. Too many people have been capturing the Unown inside, and we have decided that if we want to pursue our scientific research, we must rope off the Ruins to all public entry! We're sorry for this inconvenience! If you're looking for a Psychic Pokemon, try checking the grasses to the south. Natu are abundant there!" the scientist announced, pushing his glasses up his nose. He quickly pulled out some police tape, and taped a few strands over the main entrance to the ruins. The trainers outside groaned in disappointment, and went off in all sorts of different directions.  
  
"What a bummer, ya?" Edd chuckled, pulling his bug net off his back. A Ledyba buzzed past, and he took a quick swipe at it. It turned, stuck out its tongue, and buzzed off into the nearby trees. "I'm sure there are other ways to get in."  
  
Mistral looked to the south.. a few trainers had taken the advice of the scientists, and were battling the Natu in the tall grasses. The Natu seemed to be winning. "We'd need a Pokemon that could Surf, though."  
  
"Naw. My Daddy took me to see this really weird lookin' picture in this small cave nearby," Edd shrugged, walking off towards the north. "Hey. Wait a second.. cave? Take us to it," Eric demanded, jogging to catch up to Edd. Mistral soon followed.  
  
"Alright. But only if you give me a Potion," Edd bargained, grinning up at the two. With a grumble, Eric retrieved his backpack off his back, and pulled out a potion, handing it over to the smaller trainer. "Alright. Let's go!"  
  
-----  
  
The entrance to the cave had been covered in tape, much like the scientists had done before, but they had missed a spot large enough for the casual trainer to slide right under. All three trainers slithered underneath, much to the alarm of the Weedle which had taken refuge inside. It let out a hiss, and crawled off behind the large picture in the middle of the room. While Mistral and Eric ignored it, Edd took off after it, bug net swinging. The Weedle let out a louder hiss, and took off, rushing around the room to avoid being swept up into the net.  
  
"What the heck is it supposed to be?" Mistral asked, craning her neck towards the picture. "I can't make it out."  
  
Both trainers stared at the picture for a good long while, until Edd came stepping up to them, Weedle successfully caught in the net. It hissed wildly, not enjoying its capture, and flailed around to try to escape the net. It only caught itself in the net more. "It's a Kabuto."  
  
"A what?" Mistral asked, glancing down at Edd.  
  
"A Kabuto. It's an old Pokemon, only recently being revived from fossils. My daddy was pretty smart to figure out what it was. But I don't see it," Edd replied, shrugging. Eric stepped forward towards the picture, and put a hand on the tile. He let out a grunt, and slowly, the tile began to move in the direction he was pulling.  
  
Both Mistral and Edd watched in amazement as Eric slid the pieces around on the puzzle, until, after what seemed like an hour, the last piece of the puzzle was put into its rightful place. A loud click rang out through the small cave, but nothing interesting happened.  
  
"No, no. You mixed these pieces up," Edd corrected him, moving two pieces, with some trouble, until they traded places. Another loud click rang through the cave again, but, again, nothing happened. "Hmm.. something has got to happen.."  
  
As the three trainers sunk into thought, the floor panel beneath them gave way, causing them to fall into a chamber below. The panel quickly replaced itself, shutting the trainers in the dark, forcing them to stand, rubbing whatever spots that had taken the fall. Edd was the first up.  
  
"Shroomish, go!" Edd yelled, and the sound of a Pokeball hitting the stone floor sounded, and the room filled with a bright red light, which soon died. "Shroomish, use Flash."  
  
As the order was given, the Shroomish shook, a soft glow emitting from the small Pokemon. It soon glowed brighter, giving the trainers a good look at the surrounding area.. hieroglyphics of what were supposed to be Unown lined the wall of the room around them, and there seemed to be hundreds of shapes to them. "I don't like this place," Mistral shivered. She had good reason to.. it was quite cold as compared to the cave above them, and even with the light, the staring hieroglyphics had her on edge. "Can we please find a way out of here?"  
  
"Seems like there's a hall here.. let's follow it," Eric commanded, stepping past the Shroomish. The Shroomish, with its hasty nature, let out a grunt, and rushed past him, insisting on leading the pack. The hall seemed to stretch on forever, and the hieroglyphics got more and more abundant. "Hey. Look. Looks like a chamber here.."  
  
Indeed, there was a chamber. Light filtered in from a hole above their heads, causing the Shroomish to reduce the light it had eminating from its body as they entered the chamber. Large carved steps lead up to what looked like a shrine, but there didn't seem to be a way out. Mistral seemed nerved by this, and kept looking back at the door they had entered, as if it might close at any second. Both Edd and Eric climbed the large stone steps, to the shrine at the top.  
  
"Look, there's a little door here," Edd muttered, opening it with his hand. The Weedle finally got itself free from the net, and climbed down Edd's back, rushing off towards the door as fast as it could go. Edd reached his small arm inside, and bite his lip in concentration. "I feel something in here.. feels like a rock.. might be a moon stone.."  
  
"Moon Stone?" Eric inquired, looking down at Mistral. She still seemed nerved, but rooted to her spot. Edd finally retreated his arm from the shrine, producing a silver rock. He looked disappointed, handing the rock over to Eric, who looked it over. "I was hoping it would be a Moon Stone. I wanted one so I could evolve my Skitty.."  
  
Eric shrugged, and pocketed the silver rock, closing the little door on the shrine. "Well, I think that wraps it up, then. Let's go back and-"  
  
At that moment, the door they had entered slowly slid down from the top, closing them into the large chamber. "Find a way out.."  
  
Mistral fell to her knees, and began crying loudly, prompting Eric to move down the carved steps, kneeling down next to her to comfort her. "Shush, shush.. I can probably get my Pidgeotto to fly us out of here, so you can stop crying.."  
  
"Eric.. You might wanna see this, ya," Edd called, his voice shaking. Both Eric and Mistral, who was teary eyed, looked up at what Edd was pointing at. One by one, small black forms filed in through the hole in the top of the chamber. They each had a big eye, with a big black pupil.. Eric recognized them as the Unown, depicted in the hieroglyphics. He kept count of how many filed into the chamber.. 26.  
  
"You have trespassed on sacred grounds, and have taken the Kings Rock," a voice echoed through their minds, causing Mistral to break down into sobs again. "In order to keep the Kings Rock, and leave this place alive, you must survive the gauntlet.."  
  
Another door across the room slowly slid open, revealing an equally long hallway like the one they had just travelled down, winding off into darkness. "Enter now, or return the stone to its rightful place."  
  
Eric slowly moved to a stand, brushing the dust off his jeans. "I accept the challenge.."  
  
"Then you must all work together to overcome the obstacles that await you, or you will surely perish, like many trainers before you," the voice echoed through their minds again, causing Mistral to break into hysterical, racking sobs. Eric kneeled down again, rubbing her back, trying to comfort her.  
  
"J-just give them back the stone! I wanna get outta here, I wanna go h- home!" Mistral screamed, returning to her sobs. "T-that stone.. it's the key to its evolution."  
  
Eric pulled out the stone again, and looked it over. It seemed like a rock that had been painted silver. "Key to what evolution?"  
  
"S-slowking," Mistral sobbed again, trying to brush the tears out of her eyes. "It's not worth it. I don't want to die, we can't take this challenge.."  
  
"Then return the stone to its rightful place," the voice echoed again.  
  
"No! C'mon, we can get out of here if we just work together. We can take the challenges one at a time, and if we can't pass an obstacle, I promise we'll come back and return the stone so we can get out of here, okay, guys?" Eric looked up towards Edd, who had climbed down the carved steps.  
  
Edd shrugged, smiling. "I'm all for it."  
  
"C'mon, Mistral," Eric muttered, trying to calm her sobbing. "We can do this.."  
  
Mistral looked up at him, her face red from crying, her cheeks still wet from her own tears. "Okay.. if it's for you.. if it'll make you happy.. i'll try my hardest."  
  
"Then enter the chamber, and the gauntlet will begin."  
  
-----  
  
End Chapter 7 


	8. Chapter 8

The door to the chamber slid shut as the three trainers entered the long hallway. The Shroomish lit up again, illuminating the hallway. More hieroglyphics lined the walls, but these were different.. they weren't Unown, but were more primitive, pictures of ancient Pokemon, and not just like Kabuto or Omanyte. Pictures Eric recognized as the Legendary Birds of stories long told lined the wall, the birds birth being told. The pictures told a story without words. What did this all mean?  
  
"Well.. There's not much we can do except walk, now," Edd muttered, looking up at the hieroglyphics of the legendary birds. "So, c'mon, let's go."  
  
The Shroomish zipped off ahead of them, as they began to walk. It would go ahead a ways, then return, having realized it had gone ahead too far. The trainers were too busy looking at the hieroglyphics to notice the Shroomish had run off in the first place.  
  
Painted pictures of the legendary birds continued to line the wall, still, telling their story. The Legendary Birds finally met to clash violently over the world. Finally, a larger, white bird appeared along with the other pictures.. and what looked like a human. The Legendary Birds were calmed, and each retreated to what looked like a picture of Johto. The white bird was no where else to be seen.  
  
"Eric," Mistral called to him, tugging at his shirt. "Look behind us."  
  
The closed door had followed them, or, so it seemed. It looked more like a large, hallway sized chunk of rock. Rocky spikes covered the part coming straight at them, and it seemed to be moving slowly. "It's getting faster.. what should we do? We won't be able to outrun it for long," Mistral cried, taking a few deep breaths to keep herself from crying again.  
  
"Edd, you mentioned about having a Lairon? Do you have it on you?" Eric asked, moving a bit faster.  
  
"Ya. Of course. He's my favorite.. Oh. I see your plan. We ride on Lairon. He's pretty fast, so we should be able to outrun it," Edd commented. "Unless someone here has an Arcanine?"  
  
Mistral looked over at Edd, and took another deep breath. "I have one. But it's still in the Pokemon Storage System.. My father gave it to me, but it wouldn't obey me."  
  
"Well, that settles it. The sooner you can summon the Lairon, the better," Eric concluded, looking back behind them. The wall was slowly catching up, getting faster. "C'mon."  
  
Edd shuffled through his pockets, producing a Pokeball. He threw it, the ball hitting the stony floors, opening up to reveal, in the tell-tale red light, the large form of the Lairon. It let out its cry, and lowered itself close to the ground. "Come on, then. Let's hop on."  
  
The three trainers climbed onto the Lairon's back, vowing for space. The Lairon stood, and immediately took off at high speed. "Lairon, use Harden!" Edd commanded, as the Lairon began to gather speed. The wall, as they looked behind them, moved into the darkness. The Lairon glowed a bright red, and it seemed alot tougher. Good thing too..  
  
"Duck your head! Wall!"  
  
The three trainers pressed themselves against the back of the Lairon, who plowed straight through the stone wall that was at the end of the hall. To their surprise, however, they were soon hovering over a dark pit. For a split second, time seemed to stop, before the Lairon fell like a ton of bricks towards the darkness. The light above soon began to fade away, until it darkened with the arrival of the large stone, spiked wall, which began to drop down towards them. Spikes lined the walls.. Mistral quickly took out one of her Pokeballs, and leapt off the Lairon, releasing the Pokemon inside. A Bellsprout appeared, looking confused about why they were falling in the first place.  
  
"Bellsprout! Use Vine Whip! Latch onto the spikes on the walls!" Mistral commanded. The Bellsprout obeyed, and sent out its long vines, which grappled tightly to the spikes along the walls. Mistral hit the wall with her legs out, as not to get impaled by the spikes, and looked down. The wall passed her, nearly causing her to lose her grip on the Bellsprout.. but Eric and Edd were nowhere to be found. The cries of the Lairon finally disappeared into the deep abyss below her. "No.."  
  
The Bellsprout struggled to keep itself up, holding Mistral's weight. It let out a cry of weakness, but continued to hold her up. "No.. no.. don't fail on me, Bellsprout," she gasped, trying to think, trying not to break into hysterics. She gripped the spikes tightly with both hands, releasing the Bellsprout. She recalled it, and, slowly, began to climb up the spikes, towards the light. The spikes were big enough to support her weight, but there were so many she had to climb before she could reach the light above her.  
  
"Fancy meeting you here," a familiar voice called out to her. She jerked her head to the left to see what was behind her.  
  
"Huh? Eugene?"  
  
Sure enough, there was Eugene, slowly descending towards her, carried by the Machoke that grappled the spikes to lower itself down. "I didn't have any time to grab my Fearow, so, I just decided to climb down here. Dangerous place. Are you alright? Where's Eric?"  
  
The Machoke reached out a hand, gripped Mistral tightly, and hoisted her onto its shoulder. "Dead."  
  
Eugene's already emotionless face suddenly became rock-hard. "No. He's not dead." The Machoke began to climb the spikes quickly and effortlessly. "He can't be dead. How'd you guys get here, anyways?"  
  
"How do you know he's not dead?!" Mistral screamed, forcing herself not to beat on the Machoke for fear of her life. "I saw him die with my own eyes! He fell into the hole with a junior trainer that had been following us! If he's not dead, he's probably crushed beneath that spiked wall.."  
  
Just the thought of it caused her to break into tears. The Machoke finally reached daylight, climbing out of the pit with the two in tow. Mistral jumped off the Machoke, falling to the soft grass between the trees. "It was a trap. No wonder they said no trainer had ever survived.. they all fell to their deaths.."  
  
"Who're 'they'?" Eugene inquired, sitting next to her.  
  
"The Unown.."  
  
"Unown? The psychic Pokemon? But.. how'd they set up something like that?" Eugene asked, folding his arms across his chest. He wasn't convinced about what she was saying.  
  
"I don't know, okay, I don't know," Mistral gasped, trying to hold back tears. "All I know is that we were on Edd's Lairon, and we busted through the wall, and were falling.. I used my Bellsprout to stop myself from falling, and tried to climb, but there were so many.. and I watched them disappear into the darkness.."  
  
Eugene went silent, glancing over his shoulder. His Machoke obediently sat beneath a nearby tree, watching the two in amusement. "So.. you're pretty sure he's dead, huh?"  
  
Mistral didn't answer. Her eyes wandered towards the square-shaped hole that marked the only exit point of the trap they had fallen into. She could only wonder what kind of trainers had fallen into that same trap. She finally looked away, moving to a stand. "Now where am I supposed to go..?"  
  
"Nowhere, of course. You're supposed to be following me, remember?" another familiar voice chimed out. Mistral turned around quickly, just in time to notice a Pidgeotto fly out of the trap, dropping its precious cargo onto the soft grasses beside the Machoke. Following closely, was what looked like a large pelican, carrying Edd, the younger trainer, inside the pouch in its mouth.  
  
What followed was a mix of emotions all expressed in a physical manner. She let out a squeak, tackled Eric to the ground, and kissed his cheek multiple times, before letting out a growl, punching him square in the side of the head several times. "What'd you do that for?! I was worried sick! I thought you were dead!" *POW!* "Don't you ever do that again!"  
  
She stood up, and moved over to an unoccupied tree, where she broke down into sobs. Edd was still struggling to get free of the Pelliper's mouth. "Do you mind telling me what happened back there, please?" Eugene asked, watching Eric stand.  
  
------  
  
"So, anyways, when we lost sight of Mistral, we both summoned our flying Pokemon and hoped for the best. Pidgeotto caught me first, and Edd couldn't manage getting onto his Pelliper, so he climbed into the mouth pouch," Eric explained, shrugging.  
  
"It was disgusting, but it worked.. atleast i'm alive. I can't say so much for the trainers that hit the bottom, though," Edd finished for Eric, recalling his Pelliper. "There were tons of bones down there."  
  
Eugene gave a nod, as did Mistral, who had finally stopped crying for once. Eugene made his way to a stand, and brushed the grass off his pants. "Well, now that i've played hero, I think it's time I return to my training.. I can't go saving you guys everytime you get into trouble."  
  
"You're not gonna stick around, huh?" Eric asked, watching his rival beckon to his Machoke, and walk off into the brush. "Well, good luck, then.."  
  
Without any sign of recognition, Eugene moved off into the trees, disappearing once again. The trainers didn't say much for a while, but when they had recovered, stood once more. "Alright.. well, I say we head straight for Azalea, and no more detours," Eric muttered, straightening his backpack on his back. He headed off into the brush, looking down at his Pokegear. "We're only a mile from Union Cave. I suppose we made good time.."  
  
BAM! A fist slammed into Eric's back, nearly sending him flying off into a tree. "YOU CALL THAT MAKING GOOD TIME?! YOU NEARLY DIE AND ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IS A BADGE?!" Mistral screamed, causing a few Pidgey to fly out of the nearby trees in alarm. Edd covered his ears with his hands. "YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN US KILLED BACK THERE! WHY DON'T YOU GIVE A GIRL SOME TIME TO RECOVER, HUH?! HUH!?"  
  
-----  
  
"Aye. This is Union Cave," the hiker confirmed, rubbing the back of his scruffy head. "You'll be needin' a light. You'ken probably get it from that Sprout Tower place back in Violet-"  
  
"Don't worry, I have that covered," Edd smiled, pulling out the Pokeball that contained his ever-handy Shroomish. He released it, causing the Hiker some shock.  
  
"Hoy! Hoy! What kinda Pokemon izat?! It's some kinda freaky Bulbasaur look- a-like!" the hiker exclaimed, looking quite surprised at the fact that there was a rare Pokemon infront of him.  
  
Edd leaned towards Eric and Mistral, and shrugged. "See? Ya, they're all scared because they never see these kinda Pokemon around."  
  
"I see," Eric grinned, moving past the hiker, who watched them walk into the caves. The Shroomish lit up without command, illuminating the rocky walls of Union Cave. Several Zubat swooped down from the ceiling, disturbed by the sudden amount of light. They screeched, and dove out of the cave.. but they soon returned, when they realized it was alot brighter outside than it was with the Shroomish using Flash.  
  
Mistral leapt ahead of the group, as the ground began to rumble gently. "What's that? Whatever it is, I wanna catch it.."  
  
"Okay.. you've got dibs on it, then," Eric shrugged, taking a step back. He wasn't about to argue with the only person that would cause him serious injury without even the slightest twinge of guilt. Out of the ground came a brown, furry head. Then a second.. then a third. "Three Digletts?"  
  
Eric dug out his Pokedex, and pointed it towards the group of Digletts.  
  
~"Dugtrio, a Mole Pokemon. This Pokemon can dig extremely deep into the earth, and have been known to cause earthquakes when they dig too far down."~  
  
"A Dugtrio? In Union Caves?" Edd blinked, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, it's rare for these parts. May as well catch it, ya?"  
  
"May as well. I need a good ground Pokemon.. now.. let's see.. ah!" Mistral decided, diving her hand into a pouch on her waist. She produced a Pokeball, and flipped it into the air. The ball hit the ground, and out popped a Wooper. It danced a little jig, and trained its beady little eyes on the Dugtrio. "Wooper, use Water Gun!"  
  
The Wooper let out a cry of delight, and immediately began to shoot streams of water at the Dugtrio. The Dugtrio dug into the ground, dodging the blasts of water, before breaking the ground again. With a spiky paw, the leader of the trio slashed at the Wooper, but the attack merely glanced off.. its dual ground type gave it a resistance to the physical attack. "Water Gun again, Wooper!"  
  
With another cry, the Wooper dove onto the heads of the Dugtrio, confusing them, as it spit water down onto the Pokemon. The Dugtrio finally let out a groan of exhaustion, after trying to slash the Wooper off, that they prepared to dig down to escape. "Mistral, now's a good time.."  
  
But Mistral was way ahead of Eric's advice. An empty Pokeball out, she flung it towards the Dugtrio, catching it just as it began to dive under the earth. The Wooper, without a target, glanced around in confusion. The Dugtrio disappeared into the Pokeball, which fell to the dirt below their feet, shaking gently. After a few seconds, the tell-tale 'ding' rung out over the cave, disturbing a few more Zubat into moving away from the trainers.  
  
"Excellent! Good job, Mistral!" Eric praised. Edd simply clapped, smiling, to show his approval. The Pokeball turned a bright white, and disappeared in a flash. "Wha.. what happened to the.. it.. disappeared.."  
  
"The Pokemon Storage System. If you have six Pokemon out of the storage, it automatically transports newly caught Pokemon into the boxes. If you use the PC's in Pokemon Centers, you can get them out at will," Mistral explained, rolling her eyes. "But you didn't pass your tests, otherwise you'd know that.."  
  
"Eheh.. Yeah. I suppose I learned about that," Eric grinned, rubbing the back of his head in embarassment. "Well, now that you have a good Pokemon, let's get headed to Azalea Town! C'mon!"  
  
------  
  
End Chapter 8 


	9. Chapter 9

"Welcome to Azalea Town! Please take a brochure so that you can read up about our lovely town, and Gym Leader!"  
  
A large wooden case held stacks among stacks of brochures, and stood in the entrance to Azalea Town.. you couldn't miss it unless you pretended it wasn't there. Mistral and Edd both stepped around it, but Eric scooped one up, and immediately opened it to read the contents inside. "Hey. This stuff is actually pretty useful.."  
  
"How's that?" Mistral asked, grabbing Eric's arm to lead him towards the Pokemon Center.  
  
"Well, it says here that this Pokemon Gym specializes in Bug Pokemon. I shouldn't have any problems against the Gym Leader, if that's the case," Eric shrugged, stumbling over himself, being absorbed by the advantageous reading material.  
  
Mistral swiped the brochure from Eric, and opened it to the page he was looking at. "Lemme see that.. 'Bugsy is our lovely town's Gym Leader. She specializes in Bug type Pokemon..' Well, I could've told you that. 'Visit Slowpoke Well, and watch Slowpoke in their natural habitat.'"  
  
"Slowpoke Well?" Edd asked, glancing up at Mistral. "Didn't that swarm move south from here?"  
  
"When was there a swarm?" Mistral blinked, looking clueless. "I didn't know Slowpoke had swarms.."  
  
Edd shrugged, heading off over towards the large well. "Every Pokemon can have swarms. It's a large amount of Pokemon in one area. Daddy said that the Slowpoke had its first ever swarm since a hundred years ago, and so many trainers were flocking here to capture Slowpoke for the Slowking rumors. But there probably aren't many Slowpoke left, ya."  
  
"You said you wanted to capture a Slowpoke, right, Mistral?" Eric asked her, looking down into the dark well below, to see if he could see anything. Nothing but puddles of water, and rock.  
  
"I did. But when you said you wanted to get a Slowking, I stopped worrying about it," Mistral shrugged, smiling. "Besides, I don't want to go into that well..."  
  
Edd stared down into the well. "You're clostrophobic, aren'tcha?"  
  
"Well.. erm.." Mistral muttered, sitting on the edge of the well. "Yeah. I always have been.. I don't have a problem with anything else, just small places and rooms.."  
  
------  
  
"PokeMart! C'mon in! We're having a fifty-percent off sale!" a man shouted, waving banners of different looking Pokemon. "You can't miss this sale! Super Potions for only 350 zenni! You can never have too many!"  
  
The small group stopped infront of the store, watching the man dance about, trying to attract attention. It was working to a degree. Alot of people were pointing and whispering amongst themselves, holding back laughter.  
  
"Well, Super Potions nearly the cost of Potions isan't too bad. Think we should buy a few?" Edd asked, opening the front door. "Hey! I know! I'll buy everyone one!"  
  
Mistral and Eric followed Edd into the PokeMart, where large groups of people had gathered. Most of the items were nearly gone, and the cash register looked stuffed to bursting. "You don't have to do that, Edd," Mistral commented, moving over to a nearby rack of Escape Ropes. "But I could use an Escape Rope incase I ever get caught in another chamber.."  
  
Edd scooped up three Escape Ropes, and shoveled them into the bag he had taken from the counter. "Anything else?"  
  
Eric and Mistral glanced at each other. "How about some Soda Pop?" Eric suggested, smiling. "I could go with something to drink."  
  
"Yeah, me too."  
  
"Alright then." Edd shuffled through the crowds to the fridges, opening it with some effort. He pulled out three of the items, and shoved them into the bag. They each had a picture of a Pokemon on the front, which added to the fact that most of them were gone.  
  
------  
  
"That hit the spot," Eric yawned, crumpling up the empty can. He sat against the door to the Pokemon Gym. A small sign hung from the door. "But what gets me, is when did Gym Leaders go out to lunch?"  
  
Edd shrugged, taking another sip of his pop. "I dunno, but this sun is making me sleepy, ya? How about you guys?"  
  
"No. I'm too busy waiting for the leader," Eric commented, glancing over at Mistral. Surprisingly, she was asleep, a snot bubble issuing from her nose.  
  
"Woah. How does she do that?" Edd blinked in amusement, reaching a hand up to poke it, retreating it before he touched it. "That's weird.."  
  
"Excuse me, but, you're blocking the door to the Gym," a female voice said softly. Both Eric and Edd looked up into the face of Bugsy. Eric felt a twinge in his gut.. he had the feeling he had seen those eyes somewhere. Though not taller than Eric, she was equipped with a bug net like Edd, and had purple hair. She wore the typical junior trainer clothing, but they were covered in grass stains. Eric moved away from the door, and Bugsy smiled, bowing. "Thank you."  
  
She opened the door, and stepped inside, leaving it open. Eric clambered to a stand, and gave Mistral a gentle nudge in the side with his foot. She fell over, and awoke with a start, looking around. "Who? Huh? Where am I?"  
  
"Let's go. The Gym's open," Edd chuckled, watching Eric retreat inside the Pokemon Gym to avoid a beating.  
  
------  
  
"Welcome to the Azalea Pokemon Gym.. I'm supposing you're here to challenge me?" Bugsy guessed. Trees of all sorts, and tall grasses, lined the floor of the Gym. She dug into her pocket, and produced three Pokemon. "Three Pokemon, then?"  
  
Eric nodded, taking his place on the other side of the field. "Fine. Let's go."  
  
Another female appeared at the side of the field, flag in hand. "Let the battle commence!"  
  
Bugsy quickly tossed the Pokeball she had in her hand onto the field, producing a small, green, cacoon Pokemon.. a Metapod. Eric was quick to summon his Mankey, who had seen few battles, and was probably rearing to beat on something. The Mankey, upon appearing, looked around for a target.. the referee was considered a decent target by the pig-monkey Pokemon, who quickly sped towards her.  
  
"No! Mankey! Go after the Metapod, not her!" Eric commanded, pointing towards the bug Pokemon. "It can take a beating. Go beat up on that!"  
  
The Mankey obeyed, reluctantly, and sped off towards the Metapod. "Metapod, Harden!" Bugsy commanded her Pokemon. It glowed a soft golden hue, and its shell became tougher. The Mankey reached it, and began to beat on the cacoon with all its power. Kicks, chops, swipes. Most of them seemed to glance off, but the Mankey had plenty energy left to go.  
  
"Mankey! If you want to do damage, focus your energy, and then hit it with a Seismic Toss!" Eric commanded. The Mankey let out a screech, and began to shake, as it focused its energies into one powerful attack.. after a few moments, the Mankey let out another screech, picked up the Metapod, and jumped into the air.  
  
"Ack! Metapod!" Bugsy blinked in surprise. The attack was quite successful.. the Metapod hit the ground hard enough to cause the ground to crack beneath it. The Metapod, dazed, was summarily returned to its Pokeball. "That was impressive, but let's see you handle my newest Pokemon.. It only just evolved today. Beedrill! Go!"  
  
The next Pokemon out was a powerful looking bee Pokemon. While not as defensive as the Metapod, it was quick, and the Mankey had trouble keeping track of it. "Mankey, focus your energy again, and then use Fury Swipes! Try to get it down!"  
  
"Beedrill, fly up into the air, so it can't get you!" Bugsy commanded. "When you get a clear shot, use Poison Sting!"  
  
The Mankey stared up evilly at the Beedrill, focusing its energies, before letting out another screech. The Beedrill aimed its stinger at the fighting Pokemon, and fired a barrage of tiny, poison tipped needles. The Mankey rolled out of the way, and into a nearby tree.  
  
"Perfect. Trees are what Mankey like the best.. Now, let's see if my plan works," Eric grinned, watching carefully.  
  
"Eric? Have you noticed the lack of disciples here?" Mistral muttered into his ear. Eric's Mankey shot from the trees, and latched onto the surprised Beedrill, swiping at it with its paws. Bugsy started bouncing up and down, throwing punches at the air, obviously frustrated that she was losing.  
  
"Yeah. So?" Eric replied, looking at her for a moment, before turning back to the fight. The Beedrill was flying around, trying to knock the Mankey off. The pig-monkey didn't seem to have a problem hanging onto the Beedrill's back. "They're probably still at lunch."  
  
"Just a thought," Mistral shrugged, looking back to the fight. Tired out, Bugsy's Beedrill hit the ground with a sickening thud, where the Mankey proceeded to beat the stuffing out of it with kicks and chops. "Beedrill, return!" Bugsy grumbled angrily, pulling out her last Pokeball. "Go, Scyther!"  
  
Eric quickly produced his Pokedex, and pointed it at the newly summoned Pokemon. ~"Scyther, a scythe Pokemon. The Scyther are natural born warriors, who live for battle. Very few are caught, and very few become tame enough to use for sure in battle."~  
  
"Alright! Scyther, use Agility!" Bugsy commanded.  
  
"Mankey, get it before it can get faster!" Eric commanded, gritting his teeth. He hadn't been expecting a Scyther.. he remembered watching a trained Scyther in a televised Pokemon League battle.. the kind that got you the chance to fight the Elite Four, and a walk along Victory Road. His Mankey let out another loud screech, causing the Scyther to look up from its concentration.  
  
With a loud crash, the Mankey tackled the Scyther, sending them both sprawling backwards to the point where Bugsy had to move out of the way to avoid getting hit. "Scyther, use Slash! Take him out!"  
  
The Scyther knocked the Mankey off it, and proceeded to slash it wildly. Eric's Mankey staggered backwards, and fell over. "That's two out of three, good job, Mankey!" he praised, lifting up the Mankey's Pokeball. It returned to it in a stream of red light. "Now for number two. Gastly, go!"  
  
The Gastly appeared, forming its eyes, mouth, and fangs. Bugsy groaned, putting a hand to her head in frustration. "Okay, Gastly. Let's make this quick and easy. Hypnosis!"  
  
With a glint in its eyes, it stared down at the Scyther, who began to stagger, trying to keep itself up. "Scyther, use Double Team!" Too late. The Scyther fell over, sawing Z's before the command could be issued. "Oh, no.. c'mon."  
  
"Alright, Gastly, Nightshade!" Eric commanded, balling his right hand into a fist. This battle was his, and he didn't even have the type advantage for the first two. His Gastly floated towards the Scyther, disappearing into the darkness that appeared around it. When the darkness disappeared, the Scyther was over on its side, knocked out.  
  
"Eric wins the battle!" the judge confirmed, flashing a green flag in Eric's direction.  
  
"No! No! No! How did you do that?! It's not fair!" Bugsy cried, recalling her Scyther. "They told me you'd be tough to beat, and they weren't kidding!"  
  
Both Mistral and Eric shot each other curious glances. "What do you mean by that?" Eric asked. "I defeated you fair and square, now give me that Hive Badge."  
  
"I would if I could, but I don't know where she keeps them," Bugsy grinned, pulling out another Pokeball. "Besides, i've got a bone to pick with you.."  
  
Eric knew he had seen those eyes somewhere. The junior trainer clothing came off, revealing the bright red uniform which immediately assaulted his memories. The judge on the side let out a squeak, and ran off for the back door, only to get intercepted by two other male members of Team Magma, who quickly slapped her out of the way. "You killed my lover, you asshole, and now you're going to pay for it!"  
  
Edd looked up at Eric with a look of interest. "What's she talkin' about?"  
  
"That, and all the other Team Magma members you killed.. I'll get revenge for all of them all. Go, Houndour!" the female member yelled, throwing out the Pokeball she had clutched in her right hand so tightly, she shook. A small, dog-like Pokemon appeared from the Pokeball, covered in what looked like fake bones. The other two members grinned, and threw out their own Pokeballs.. a Poochyena, and a Dustox appeared with a cry.  
  
"What's goin' on here, ya?" Edd inquired, still looking up at Eric. "Were you the one who caused that slaughter back in Violet City?"  
  
"If this keeps up, i'm going to have a ton of emotional scars," Eric muttered, pulling out a Pokeball. He didn't bother to throw it, as the Pokeball opened upon thought. His Pidgeotto, long awaiting battle, appeared in the bright red light. His Gastly floated over next to the Pidgeotto, looking down at the impending battle. "Mistral, Edd, get out of here. This is my battle. If they want a fight, they'll get it.."  
  
Edd stepped forward, and shook his head. "No. Mistral and I have stuck with you this long, it's not too much to help out. Besides, you're outnumbered, ya? How about we teach these punks a lesson?". Mistral gave a nod, and stepped forward, pulling out two Pokeball from her waist pouch. "I'm with Edd."  
  
"... Fine. Stop hesitating, then, these guys are pretty determined.." Eric nodded, staring down the three Team Magma members.  
  
Edd was quick to summon his Lairon, Pelliper, and Shroomish, while Mistral summoned her Cyndaquil, and Dugtrio. "Alright. Let's show these fools what a real Pokemon Battle is like.." Eric grinned, pointing towards the three Pokemon. "Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack, then Peck on the moth Pokemon! Gastly, try and Lick the other two Pokemon. Let's go!"  
  
"Ignore the other Pokemon, Houndour. Try and burn that trainer to a crisp! Don't give up until he's dead, do you hear me?!" the female grunt screamed, pointing through the crowd of Pokemon on the other end of the gym, at Eric. The Houndour rushed forward, rearing its head back, taking a deep breath. It released a stream of fire towards the group of Pokemon, only to be stopped as the Lairon stepped forward to take the brunt of the attack. Eric's Pidgeotto and Gastly flew off in seperate directions to hit their intended goals. "Good job, Lairon! Now, stomp out that overgrown lighter!"  
  
The Lairon brought up its front feet, and stomped harshly on the Houndour, who, after several hits to the skull and body, went flying back towards its trainer, rolling, resting in an unconcious heap at the feet of her trainer. "Dustox! Stun Spore them all!"  
  
Wham. Another command given much too late. Eric's Pidgeotto had intercepted it before it could move, and had pinned it to the grassy floor of the gym, pecking it. It let out shrieks, shaking the Stun Spore over the Pidgeotto. Sparkles of purple light covered the Pidgeotto from head to toe, causing it to fall over, but not before having knocked out the Dustox.  
  
"Okay, Dugtrio! Hit that dog Pokemon with a Slash!" Mistral commanded, pointing towards the Poochyena. The Dugtrio quickly dug underground, reappearing behind the surprised Poochyena. It got in its slashes, sending the Poochyena flying, where it was intercepted by the awaiting Gastly.. and given a nice long lick. The Poocyhena gagged, and fell over, twitching, hitting the ground stiff as a board.  
  
"Shroomish, hit them with Stun Spore! Make sure they don't get away!" Edd commanded, leaping forward, feeling the rush of battle. The Shroomish stormed towards the grunts, as they recalled their unconcious and injured Pokemon. It began to shake violently, covering the grunts in the purple dust that had been used previously against Eric's Pidgeotto. The grunts let out cries, falling over, just as stiff as the Poochyena had been.  
  
"Bellsprout, go!" Mistral released her Bellsprout, who appeared with a cry. "Tie them up with Vine Whip, Bellsprout, until the proper authorities can show up!"  
  
The Bellsprout leapt forward, and shot out vines from its root feet, wrapping up the grunts in vines, who began to struggle in a futile attempt to break free.  
  
Eric recalled his Gastly and Pidgeotto, as Edd and Mistral recalled any Pokemon that weren't helping contain the grunts. "Come quick, guys! I think I found where the real Bugsy is!" Edd called, beckoning to them from the back room. Mistral ran off towards the back room, leaving Eric to double check on the grunts, to make sure they wouldn't be able to escape. "I'm not a murderer," he muttered down at the female grunt, moving towards the back room.  
  
"Mark my words, Eric," the female grunt called after him, the stun spore beginning to wear off. "I WILL kill you."  
  
"We'll see about that," Eric called back to her, entering the back room. Sure enough, there was Bugsy, and several of the other trainers, tied up. Bugsy was without clothes, since they had been stolen for the female grunt to wear. Edd was quick to toss Bugsy her clothing, when Mistral untied her. She scrambled into them, and began to help Mistral and Eric untie her disciples.  
  
-----  
  
"I didn't see them coming," Bugsy smiled at them from over the table, blushing slightly. "I was in the back, getting ready to fetch a badge for a trainer that had defeated my Pokemon, and she appeared from out of nowhere.. took my clothes, and tied me up."  
  
Eric glanced over at Mistral, then looked back over at Bugsy. "Well, I hate to ask so soon after you being.. recovered and all, but, I did defeat the Pokemon that you use in battle.. would it be a bad time to ask if I could get a Hive Badge?"  
  
"Well, let's see.. you defeated my Pokemon, saved the Pokemon Gym, and, as we speak, they're being arrested by Officer Jenny.." Bugsy ticked off three fingers out of five she had open. Eric cringed at the thought of the authorities being so close.. if someone tipped him off to being here, he'd surely be arrested and thrown in jail along with the grunts they had just subdued. "And you saved me and my disciples. Yeah. I think you deserve this Hive Badge."  
  
Bugsy pulled out a small, shiny badge from her back pocket, and slid it over to him from across the table. Eric picked it up, smiling over the table at the gym leader. "Thanks." The box which contained Eric's Zephyr Badge was withdrawn from the backpack, and opened, pinned to its proper place next to the Zephyr Badge.  
  
"I think you'll be a great trainer, Eric. You've got a great group of friends here.. you're from Hoenn, did you say?" Bugsy asked, looking over at Edd, who gave a sheepish nod. "I think, if you all stick together, you can make it to the Pokemon League."  
  
"You really think so, huh?" Eric asked, leaning back in his chair.  
  
"I know so," Mistral grinned, patting Eric on the head daintily. "We'll make sure of that."  
  
Edd laughed, clapping his hands a few times. "Ya. I'd be glad to stick around. It could be fun, ya?"  
  
"Enough talk about Pokemon Leagues and badges. You'll have plenty of time for that when you reach the next city. You still have to get through Ilex Forest to get to Goldenrod," Bugsy interrupted, standing up. She moved over to the small kitchen that was put into the back room, and whipped out some cooking utensils. "I'm sure you're starving, and i'd be glad to treat you all to dinner, and you can all stay the night if you'd like."  
  
"Food! I'm starving!" Edd grinned hungrily, looking quite pleased with himself. "All that praise was makin' me hungry, ya."  
  
------  
  
The cots were stiff, and not as comfortable as a normal bed, but they weren't sleeping outdoors. That was a good thing, since the sky outside the window Eric stared out of was soon covered in clouds, and it began to rain. "Eric? Are you still awake?" Edd's voice called out from the shadows.  
  
"Yeah. What's up?" Eric replied, still staring out of the window at the rain.  
  
"Did you mean to kill them all?"  
  
".. No. I didn't mean to kill anyone. That wasn't my Magmar. I didn't know they'd all go up in flames.. I guess.. I guess I wasn't thinking properly.."  
  
Edd went silent for a few moments, so that all the noise that was in the room was the gentle breathing of Mistral and Bugsy as they slept. "I see.. well, just know, that i'll be by your side if you ever need me, ya?"  
  
"You don't have to tell me that, Edd," Eric smiled, still staring out the window. "You've proven that more than once now. Get some sleep.. we've got a long day tommorow."  
  
"Ya. I suppose you're right."  
  
Eric listened to the sounds of the other trainers breathing, as they slept.. the gentle tick of the rain against the window rocked him gently into the land of dreams. Two badges down.. and another was only a day away. What would tommorow hold? There was only one way to find out.  
  
Sleep.  
  
-------  
  
End Chapter 9 


	10. Chapter 10

"It was your fault. It was all your fault. Everything was your fault, and always has been your fault. What would this planet be without you? What would it be without any of us? You were the one, Eric. You were the one who set the gears into motion. You were the key that fit the lock. Slowly turning.. turning.. until you unlock the doors to the eve of our destruction. The gears continue to spin. And soon, you will find out what it means to suffer.."  
  
The white light that filtered down from the sky was blinding. Plants withered away beneath his feet, and Pokemon disappeared, turning to dust, floating away with the breeze. Fires raged uncontrollably.. The waters dried, and humans fell to his feet, begging for mercy.. begging, and accusing.  
  
"You released it.. you were the one!"  
  
"You have doomed us all! Why..? Why would you do this to us?"  
  
"My children are dead! It's all your fault!"  
  
Countless numbers of fingers slowly lifted up, pointing to him. There would be no escape. Not this time. They both lay dead.. the dark form shook his head, folding his arms over his chest. No escape this time.  
  
No escape.  
  
Ever again.  
  
---------  
  
"AH!" Eric screamed, falling off his cot. His blankets were wrapped around him tightly as he struggled to get them off of him. "I didn't do it! I didn't! Quit blaming me!"  
  
The light soon came on, blinding him. He covered his eyes with a hand. "No! It's not my fault.."  
  
"Eric! Eric, snap out of it. You were dreaming, ya?" Edd slapped his face hard, while Mistral and Bugsy made their way back to him from the kitchen, cold cloth in hand. He didn't need cold water.. the cold sweat over his face was enough reality for him. "C'mon. Get up."  
  
Edd helped Eric free of the blankets, sitting him back on the cot. "Eric.. you're shaking. What happened?" Mistral asked, sitting next to him, placing the cold cloth to his head.  
  
"Everyone was saying it was my fault. That everything just disappeared. It was too bright to tell," Eric closed his eyes, resting his head in his hands.  
  
"Are you talking about what happened in Violet City?" Mistral asked, wrapping her arms around him, shaking him gently. "Because that wasn't your fault. You did what was right."  
  
"This was something different. I had destroyed something.. and then it happened. It's.. I can't remember, now. It's all leaving me," Eric muttered, taking the cloth from Mistral, rubbing his head with it. "What time is it?"  
  
Bugsy looked back at the clock hanging on the wall. "Almost dawn.. six twenty five.."  
  
Everything had seemed so real, but he couldn't piece together what he had seen. The dream about Kazin seemed real enough, as did this dream.. did it have some kind of connection with the dream he had just had? With the rapidly fading memories of the dream, he couldn't make any connections. Everything was dying.. there had been death in the dream about Kazin.  
  
Eric slowly glanced over at Mistral, who had her eyes closed, her arms still around him tightly, her face buried in his left arm. "Don't listen to anyone else. It's not your fault," Mistral muttered, trying to calm him. He had gotten control of his shaking, and Edd proceeded to pack his sleeping bag back into his backpack. If it was dawn, it was nearly time to leave, anyways. Bugsy sat down on her own bed in the corner, pulling her knees up to her chest.  
  
"What'd I say?" Eric asked, looking over at Bugsy. "Did I say anything in my sleep?"  
  
Edd stretched a bit, looking over at Mistral and Eric. "You were screaming really loudly, about how it wasn't your fault. Before I could wake you up, you started saying something about killing everyone. Really creeped Bugsy and Mistral out, ya."  
  
The dream finally slipped his concious mind, though, he had a feeling it would return to haunt him. Everything.. his choices, and now Team Magma.. but what about Kazin? The only way to prove his theory would be to see if Kazin did return. Eric pulled out his Pokedex, and opened it. Mistral opened her eyes, and looked down at the Pokedex. Edd and Bugsy both went silent, as Eric punched in a search for 'Vulpix'. The information popped up onto the screen, and it switched to the 'Map' screen on Eric's prompt. Several pictures of Vulpix appeared on the screen, mostly around Mt. Mortar.  
  
However, one picture of a Vulpix was gently edging its way down Route 44.  
  
He closed the Pokedex, and pocketed it. "What was that about?" Edd asked, looking from Bugsy, to Eric, then to Mistral. "Checkin' on those legendary Pokemon?"  
  
"Yeah, you could say that," Eric lied, slowly standing up. Mistral released her arms from him, looking a bit disappointed. "Let's get going. We've worn out our welcome, and Goldenrod is only through the Ilex Forest."  
  
The only way to get them off the subject was to return to his Pokemon League aspirations, which made anyone who knew him think he was back to normal. It was the easiest way to hide his true emotions. It would make an excellent shield.  
  
------  
  
"Be careful in the Ilex Forest," Bugsy smiled, waving to the three trainers. "And, Eric.."  
  
Eric turned, looking back at Bugsy, who blushed, looking down. "Be careful who you're around. It's hard to trust anyone anymore, and the road to the Pokemon League only gets harder from here on.."  
  
Before Eric could inquire as to what that meant, Bugsy turned, and left the guard house seperating Azalea Town and Ilex Forest. The Security Guard looked up at the small group. "Well, be on yer way. I'm sure you're itchin' to catch alot of early mornin' Pokemon if you're going into the forest this early in the morning."  
  
"Yeah. I suppose," Eric muttered, turning again. He gave one last glance towards the door they had come in through, before entering the opened door to Ilex Forest. The path they stepped on immediately went north at a ninety degree angle. The trees, as they followed the path, got more closely knit. The shadows danced with delight at the prospect of trainers entering the forest so early in the morning, before the sunlight lit up the paths fully.  
  
"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Mistral muttered sleepily, glancing around the bushes at the side of the road. A Spinarak weaved its web above them, looking quite content with its hiding place. "Because it's still really dark.."  
  
They both agreed to have Edd release his Shroomish, so they could get some light onto the path. The Shroomish, excited to chosen for the job, appeared, and lit up the path. The bushes around them shook violently at the light, and a few bug Pokemon from the forest retreated into the sanctuary of the trees.  
  
"Paras! Paras!" a small, orange bug Pokemon was quick to stop the team about half-way through the forest. It seemed intruiged by the Shroomish, and kept running circles around it.  
  
Eric glanced over at Edd. "Well, if you want a Paras, now might be a good time to capture one," he advised, tapping his foot impatiently.  
  
"Why don't you catch it?" Edd asked, smiling up at him. "I've already got some Bug Pokemon from Hoenn, anyways."  
  
Eric contemplated the catch, then gave a quick nod. "Okay. Mind stunning it for me while I dig out my Pokemon?"  
  
"Sure thing. Shroomish, use your sleep powder!" Edd commanded. The Shroomish started to shake, much to the Paras's surprise, and was soon covered in a light blue powder. It yawned, and layed down, falling asleep. Eric stopped digging through his pockets for the right Pokeball, when he noticed that the Paras was dead asleep.  
  
Using this opportunity, Eric quickly pulled out an empty Pokeball, hitting the Paras atop the head. It stayed normal for a few seconds, before turning a bright red, disappearing into the Pokeball. The Pokeball hit the soft grass of the trail, and began to shake, though, only a few times.  
  
"Odd. Maybe it wanted to be caught," Mistral blinked, watching the Pokeball stop moving so early. The Pokeball finalized the capturing process with the tell-tale soft 'ding'. Eric bent over, and picked it up, looking it over. "Perhaps."  
  
"H-hey! I was chasing that Paras!" a voice called out from the bushes, and, after a few moments, a bug catcher fell out of them, struggling with what looked like a Weedle. Mistral bent over, and picked the Pokemon off the boy easily, and it hissed, struggling to get away. "Now you're gonna steal my Weedle?!"  
  
"No. I was just helping you," Mistral muttered, dropping the Weedle. It hissed again, and took off into the bushes.  
  
"You let it go! Man, you people steam me up. Who wants to battle me first?!" the bug catcher growled, pulling out a Pokeball. Edd stepped forward, pushing Eric aside. "Lemme handle him. I bet I can win," Edd winked, pulling out his own Pokeball.  
  
The Bug Catcher threw out his first Pokemon.. a Kakuna. Both Eric and Mistral shook their heads in frustration. Edd was quick to summon his Pelliper, who seemed happy to finally be out of its Pokeball after such a long time.  
  
"Kakuna, Harden!" The Kakuna leapt, and fell on its back. However, it did harden its shell, looking alot tougher now. "Wing Attack, Pelliper!"  
  
Edd's Pelliper gripped the Kakuna tightly, and began to hit it hard with its wings. By the time it was done, not even the hardened shell had saved the Pokemon from the fierce onslaught, and the type advantage. The Kakuna was returned to its Pokeball, as was the Pelliper. Next out from the Bug Catcher was a Spinarak. It looked determined to battle, but quickly retreated behind its trainer when Edd released his Lairon.  
  
"Lairon, use Metal Sound!" Edd commanded. The Lairon slowly began to shake, causing its thick steely hide to ring out at a deafening tone. Edd, Mistral, and Eric covered their ears, but the Bug Catcher simply started yelling at his Spinarak to use String Shot. When the noise had died down, the Spinarak quickly leapt forward, looking a bit wobbily at the legs.  
  
The string that issued from the Spinarak was quite effective in slowing down the Lairon. "Before he can hit you with another attack, use Headbutt!"  
  
The Lairon let out a low growl, and charged towards the Spinarak, and slammed its head into it, sending it flying into a tree, where it promptly fell to the ground. "Aww, man.. I don't have any more Pokemon," the bug catcher sighed, returning his Spinarak to its Pokeball. He quickly strode off into the bushes, where he let out a gasp, pulling out his bug net, probably chasing another bug Pokemon that was too big for him.  
  
"Good job, Lairon! You won me a battle! I'm proud of you, ya?" Edd grined, hopping onto its back, the Shroomish following, still lighting the path. The Lairon continued down the path, and Mistral and Eric followed at a fair pace.  
  
"So, are you worried about that dream?" Mistral asked, looking over at Eric. She was looking quite sheepish.. or was she just being timid because of the question? "I mean, dreams don't always come true. I'm sure Kazin's alright, too."  
  
"I know he's alright, Mistral. And I don't believe that the dream was real.. but, it seemed real," Eric replied, looking ahead at Edd, who was celebrating his own victory by scaring away a Caterpie on a tree he passed.  
  
Mistral gave a nod, and smiled, looking ahead. "Listen, don't let it get to you, okay?"  
  
"I'm not. I have better things to think about.. like the next badge at Goldenrod," Eric shrugged, looking over at Mistral to see what she was looking at. Her eyes were locked on Edd, who was still riding the Lairon, heading towards a small house straight down the path. "And why did you put your arms around me when I had that bad dream?"  
  
Mistral's face flushed for a few moments. "I, uh.. well, I was feeling bad for you. And you were shaking, so I thought that, being your friend and all, that I could help calm you down.. hehe."  
  
"Uh-huh," Eric grinned, nudging her in the side. "Are you sure about that?"  
  
"Damn sure! I've got a boyfriend in Cianwood anyways," Mistral lied, though, she struggled to make it as believable as possible. It seemed to work, as Eric gave a sage nod, looking ahead just in time to notice that Edd had already reached the guard house, and was holding the door open for them. "Sorry," Mistral whispered, moving around Edd to enter the guard house.  
  
"What was that all about?" Edd asked, looking up at Eric, who stepped into the guard house that seperated Ilex Forest to Route 34. "Did you ask her out or something?"  
  
Eric waited for Edd to step in, Lairon trailing behind him, before closing the door. "No. I was just talking to her about the dream I had, and I moved the subject to her embracing me while I was shaking. She was quick to note that she has a boyfriend in Cianwood."  
  
"If that's the case, why isan't she in Cianwood following her boyfriend around?" Edd asked, glancing over at Mistral, who was sitting in one of the many chairs lining the wall, trying to rest her feet. "Sounds a bit fishy to me, ya."  
  
"Maybe. Like Bugsy said, I shouldn't trust alot of people now," Eric repeated what he had heard, but shrugged. "But I can trust you guys, so I shouldn't go around and point fingers at every person I suspect without proper evidance."  
  
Edd gave a nod, and dropped the subject, hopping back onto his Lairon. "Hey, Mistral! If your feet are hurting, why don'tcha have a ride with me. ya?"  
  
Mistral looked up, and smiled, nodding. She quickly clambered onto the Lairon, and let out a sigh of relief. The guard was busy talking to an old lady, both were grinning broadly. "So I says to him, I says, 'You're pretty suspicious sneakin' around here at night'. So I battled him with my Growlithe, and he takes them both out in one attack! Imagine my surprise when he became Pokemon League Champion, AND defeated the Elite Four!"  
  
The Old Lady laughed at the prospect.  
  
"Pokemon League Champion.." Eric muttered, opening the door for the Lairon. Route 34 shone with the bright sun, and without a cloud in the sky. It would be easy to make it to Goldenrod City, and they'd have plenty of time to do some shopping or something before they went to take on the Gym Leader. Things were working out for the better.  
  
-----  
  
Goldenrod was a gigantic city, possessing some large, important buildings within. One of them was the infamous Radio Tower, which broadcasted music and interviews with famous people in the world of Pokemon to the radios and Pokegear of the world.. well, the Pokegear outfitted with a radio card, anyways, which Eric wasn't lacking. His mother had bought the one that came with the radio card.  
  
"So this is Goldenrod City.. I've heard alot about this place. They have casinos, a huge department center, and the Radio Tower.. I wanna visit them all," Mistral sighed dreamily. "Especially the department store.."  
  
"Go ahead. I'll catch up to you when I defeat the Gym Leader here," Eric smiled, moving away from Mistral. Edd was quick to follow, having already recalled his Lairon.  
  
"Oh NO you don't!" Mistral growled, grabbing both of their collars tightly. She pulled them back, their attempts to break free from her death grip failing. "You're both going shopping with me."  
  
"Aw, man! We'll be in there forever, ya? I'm with Eric, I think we should challenge the Gym Leader first," Edd muttered, still struggling. Eric had long since given up. "Well, you can go, but I want Eric to come with me," Mistral grinned evilly, sticking her tongue out at Edd. Edd brushed himself off when he was released, and nodded. "Good luck, ya?"  
  
"I'm gonna need it," Eric muttered, being dragged towards the large department complex. "I'll meet you outside the Casino, Edd."  
  
Edd gave a long wave, before turning. "Think i'll hit the casino and get me a new Pokemon."  
  
-----  
  
"Oh, would you take a look at this? It's so cute!" Mistral giggled, holding up what looked like a Clefairy. "It's a Clefairy Doll. You use it to escape battles by distracting the wild Pokemon," Eric muttered. "But I suppose you can use it to decorate your room."  
  
It only took three hours to get through all six stories of the Goldenrod City Department store, and Mistral had left nearly all of them a wreck. Eric had no idea where she was getting the money, but she had enough of them to buy all sorts of items, Pokeballs, and food for her Pokemon. He had gotten lucky, and Mistral had bought him a Great Ball to add to his collection.  
  
"It might help someday," Mistral smiled, forking over the money for all the items she had in the bag, and the Great Ball. Eric was quick to pocket it once she handed it to him. "I could've bought it myself with the money I earned fighting the gym leaders.."  
  
Mistral shook her head. "Nonsense. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. My father used to say that all the time. So, go ahead, it's on me."  
  
"And so are your bags," Eric muttered, struggling under the weight of the many bags she had piled onto his arms and hands.  
  
------  
  
When they had both left the department store, they took a bit of time organizing her stuff into her new backpack. She was feeling generous, so bought Eric one of the newer backpacks to replace the one that had, by now, become quite ragged. Eric moved what little items he did have from one backpack to his new one, much like Mistral was, and made sure to double check every pocket incase he might've missed something. He checked to make sure his badge case was in the backpack somewhere around thirteen times.  
  
Finally, they made it to the casino, after Mistral insisted on stopping for lunch, stopping to look at clothes, and stopping to look at the Pokemon being groomed at the local Pokemon Salon. Which meant they had to take a detour through the Goldenrod City Tunnel.. which meant more shops.  
  
"Make it stop," Eric groaned lifelessly, as Mistral dragged him from the Goldenrod City Tunnel.  
  
"Aw, quite your whining. I'm done now. Let's go find Edd and heal our Pokemon.. where were we going to meet him again?" Mistral asked, helping Eric to his feet.  
  
"The casino. He mentioned something about wanting to play there."  
  
Mistral quirked an eyebrow, walking across the street towards the large casino complex. "Isan't he too young to gamble?"  
  
------  
  
"C'mon, daddy needs a new pair of shoes!" Edd grinned, shaking the dice in his hands. He threw them, and they landed inside the table, landing on a pair of fives. "Winnah! It's amazing, ladies and gentlemen! This kid has the devil's luck!" the man who ran the table announced.  
  
Eric and Mistral wound their way through the spectators and scantily-clad women to move next to Edd. "Oh my god.. Edd, how much money do you have now?" Eric muttered, noticing all the chips on the smaller trainer's side.  
  
"I've got about.. oh.. fifty thousand Zenni, now," Edd replied, rolling the dice again. The dice revealed a six and a five. "Again! What is this?!" the man running the table groaned, hesitant to give the smaller trainer anymore chips.  
  
"Tough luck, buddy. Hand over the money," Edd grinned, shoveling his chips into his coin case, climbing off the stool that had been set up for him. One of the scantily clad women kissed him on the cheek, winking at him. "I'll call you," he waved to the girls.  
  
Mistral picked Edd up by the collar, and shook him. "Oh, no you won't. You're too young to be hanging around with those kind of people. And who said you could even gamble?!"  
  
"Well, you just witnessed how good I am. Hehe."  
  
-----  
  
"I'd like an Abra," Edd muttered, looking over the list of Pokemon he could trade in for coins. "And i'll be getting a Dratini, and a Sandshrew. There should be enough coins inside for them."  
  
The woman behind the counter looked surprised, but took the coins, pulling out three Pokeballs. "And who will I be registering these to?"  
  
"The Abra and the Sandshrew will be going to me. My friend Eric, he's the tall one behind me, will be getting the Dratini," Edd smiled. Eric blinked in surprise. "A-are you sure about that? Dratini are hard to come by.."  
  
"I've already got one," Edd shrugged. "Besides, they're really good when they evolve into Dragonite. You could use one."  
  
Eric wasn't quite sure wether to strangle Edd or hug him. A Dratini.. a Pokemon that could only be found in about three or four places in the entire WORLD. Someone must be at the Safari Zone twenty-four hours a day to be catching enough to hand out for prizes.  
  
The woman typed on the computer, and placed each Pokeball in succession into a small chamber. The Pokeballs were zapped with what looked like lightning, before taken out. They were surprisingly cool, however, as Eric noted when he took the Dratini's Pokeball, putting it into his pocket. "Well.. I dunno what to say, Edd.. Thanks."  
  
"What're pals for? I'll just be expecting you to help me catch a Pokemon I want sometime," Edd grinned, causing Eric to fall over. There went gravity again..  
  
"I knew there was a catch," Eric muttered, tears streaming down his face, as he rubbed the side of his head that had hit the hard tile floor. "Alright.. deal."  
  
"Then what're we waiting for?" Mistral butted in, smiling. "Let's go to the Pokemon Gym! Eric's got another badge to earn!"  
  
-----  
  
End Chapter 10 


	11. Chapter 11

Warning: Sexual situations and references and stuff. If you don't like it, skip the last part of the chapter. You're not missing any storyline development, it's only in there for the material. Woohoo!  
  
"Goldenrod City Gym Leader Whitney has been challenged by Eric, a trainer. Two Pokemon will be used for this battle. Begin!" the referee called, holding up two flags to the air, one red (for penalties) and one green. She brought the flags back down again, blowing her whistle.  
  
"Go, Clefairy!" Whitney yelled, throwing out her first Pokeball. In a flash of red light, the small fairy Pokemon appeared, awaiting the opponant.  
  
"Let's make this quick and easy. Gastly! Go!" Eric called, throwing out his own Pokemon. The two Pokemon stared each other down, almost as if daring for the other to make a move. "Gastly, use Lick!"  
  
The Gastly floated forward, tongue out, ready to give the fairy Pokemon a good lick. "Roll around it, Clefairy, then use Metronome!" Whitney's Clefairy rolled to the side, dodging the fast moving Gastly. It landed on its feet gracefully, and began to wag its fingers. Its fingers glowed for a few moments, before firing a rainbow beam of energy.  
  
"Gastly, go through the wall!" Eric commanded. The Gastly disappeared into the wall, and the rainbow beam hit the wall, causing it to ice up. Whitney let out a mutter, looking around for the gas Pokemon. "Alright, Gastly, Confuse Ray!"  
  
A beam of light shone from the ceiling, hitting the Clefairy, dazing it. It staggered about for a moment, trying to gain its composure. "Clefairy, snap out of it, and use Metronome again!" It wagged its fingers again, as the Gastly wandered back through the wall, preparing to retreat through it again. It didn't need to. The Clefairy glowed a bright yellow, and then let out an enourmous explosion, sending Whitney, Eric, and the Referee flying off their feet. The Clefairy fell over, twitching. The Metronome had backfired.  
  
The Gastly let out a howl of laughter, floating back over to Eric, who was standing back up again. "Awesome. Alright, we've got the advantage now, Gastly."  
  
Whitney let out a cough, wiping some smoke off her face. "Ehehe.. Clefairy, return!" The Clefairy was returned into its portable sanctuary. "Miltank, you're next! Go for it!"  
  
The Miltank appeared, letting out a loud moo as it appeared, preparing for battle. "Gastly, use Hypnosis!"  
  
"Miltank, Heal Bell!"  
  
The Miltank took a swipe at the bell around its neck, as it fell asleep. The sound of the bell made it awaken with a yawn, just as ready for battle as it had been before it fell asleep. "Perfect. Now, use Rollout!" Whitney's Miltank curled into a ball, and began to roll wildly towards the Gastly.  
  
"Go over it, Gastly!" Eric commanded, the Gastly moving upwards, barely avoiding the careening heffer as it rolled along at a deadly pace. It began to turn towards the Gastly, leaping up gently. It hit the ground, and went flying up into the air, slamming into the Gastly, causing it to disappate in mid-air. It reappeared, looking pooped. "Nice try, Gastly," Eric smiled, returning the Gastly into its Pokeball. "Now for the coupe de grace.."  
  
The next Pokeball was pulled from his backpack, and thrown out onto the field. His Mankey appeared from it, looking quite agitated with everything around it. Whitney let out a sigh, shaking her head. "A poorly tamed Mankey.. This will be an easy fight. Miltank, Stomp it!"  
  
The Miltank stood up from its rolling, and rushed towards the Mankey, causing the ground to shake slightly as its hooves touched the ground. "Mankey, Low Kick!" The Mankey quickly ducked under the Miltank as it charged towards him, and kicked its legs out from under itself. The Miltank hit the ground, hard, and the Mankey, in a rage, leapt atop it, and began to hit it with an uncommanded Fury Swipes.  
  
"Miltank, throw it off you, then hit it with a Body Slam!" Whitney commanded. The Miltank obeyed, and quickly reared back, trying to throw the Mankey off it. "Hang on tight, Mankey!" Mankey hung on for its life, as the Miltank reared back and forward, trying to knock the pig-monkey Pokemon off its back. The Mankey lost its grip halfway through the ride, and hit the ground on its back. "Roll out of the way!" Too late. The Mankey let out a screech as the massive weight of the Miltank was brought down onto its light frame.  
  
"Keep using Body Slam until it gives up!" Whitney grinned, hopping up and down in excitement. She hadn't been winning alot of battles lately, so, this one would help her record a little.  
  
Mistral stepped over to Eric, still watching the battle. "Your Mankey's getting pummeled. Me and Edd agreed that you should call this match off and call it back."  
  
"No. If I do that, then I won't win," Eric shrugged, watching the Mankey take a third hit from the tremendous bulk of the opponant. "What do you mean by that?" Mistral asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
  
"I did a little research. Unlike the Machop evolutionary line, the Mankey evolutionary line are fueled by rage. The more hits it takes, the stronger it gets, until.." Eric stopped in his explination, as the Mankey began to glow brightly, causing the Miltank to stumble back, covering its eyes with its hooves. "Until it can either overpower the foe, or evolve.."  
  
As the bright light cleared, a larger, much more enraged Pokemon was left in its place. It heaved deep breaths, staring at the Miltank with an evil look. A vein popped out of its head, and, Eric noticed, that the new Pokemon had what looked like cuffs around its ankles and wrists.  
  
~"Primeape, a pig-monkey Pokemon. Much like its weaker form, the Primeape is almost constantly in a rage, and cannot control its temper. A fully trained Primeape can easily match the power of a trained Machamp, though no one has stuck around a Primeape long enough to see if this was true."~  
  
"Well, let's take advantage of this new power, Primeape! Use Seismic Toss!" Eric commanded, grinning. Both Mistral and Edd looked surprised at the sudden evolution. The Primeape shook with rage, and let out a deafening screech, rushing towards the Miltank. "Miltank, use Stomp! Intercept it before it can get to you!"  
  
As quickly as the command was given, Primeape had caught the Miltank in mid- stomp, and lifted it up easily, slowly swinging it around. "Ah! Miltank!" The Miltank and Primeape soon turned into a blur, before Primeape stopped spinning, releasing the Miltank. It went flying past its trainer, Whitney, and hit the ground, skidding a good few feet, until it hit the wall. "Aw, no! We had this one in the bag, too!"  
  
"Eric is the winner! Congratulations!" the referee called, flashing the green flag in Eric's direction. Soon after, the referee left out the front door.. he couldn't blame her. It was almost dinner time.  
  
Whitney recalled her Miltank, and moved across the field, to Eric. "Well, that was an awesome battle. I would've never expected your Mankey to evolve.."  
  
"Yeah, well, I was hoping it would before you knocked it out, anyways," Eric laughed, rubbing the back of his head. Edd and Mistral were exchanging betting money while Eric wasn't looking.  
  
"Well, you won this fair and square." Whitney pulled out a small, plain looking badge. "It's the Plain Badge. This should help you tame your new Primeape." She extended her hand, allowing Eric to take the badge from her hand, and place it inside the badge case he already had prepped in his pocket for when he won. He had never doubted his abilities to win.. well, except when his Mankey was pinned down, getting hit multiple times.  
  
The badge case was put back into the backpack, and Eric turned, heading for the door. Mistral and Edd had finished exchanging money, and were waiting for him with the door open.  
  
"Hey, wait a minute," Whitney called after him, causing him to stop in his tracks. He glanced over his shoulder, half expecting to see the girl clad in a Team Magma uniform, but she was simply running after him. He turned to meet her as she stopped infront of him. "Hey. Sorry to hold you up, but, I was wondering if you had a little time?"  
  
Mistral quirked an eyebrow, watching the two. "Well.. Yeah. I guess I do, there's no rush. Why?" Eric inquired, looking her over.  
  
"Well, it's Friday night, and Goldenrod can be a lonely place.." Whitney began, looking down at her feet, blushing. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go out and have dinner, or something? You know, as friends?"  
  
Eric rubbed his chin gently, glancing over at his shoulder back at Mistral. This would be an interesting opportunity.. and, besides, if Mistral wasn't lying about her boyfriend in Cianwood, he'd find out one way or another. Edd was using all his strength and will power to hold Mistral back, as she was dead-set on killing them both. He looked back over at Whitney, who was smiling at him. "Sure. Why not. I guess I could use with getting out more and socializing with people.."  
  
"That's awesome! Lemme get ready, and i'll be back out here in a jiffy!" Whitney declared, rushing off for the back of the Gym. She disappeared into a door in the back. Eric turned back to Mistral, who had stopped struggling, growling low to herself. "Well, you heard what she said.. if you guys want to go get dinner or something, i'll meet you guys at the Pokemon Center around midnight," Eric shrugged, smiling a bit.  
  
"Yeah. Midnight," Mistral muttered, shoving Edd out of the way, as she walked out the door. Edd gave a shrug, and followed her. "Good luck, ya? You're gonna need it."  
  
Whitney had returned. She had changed out from her gym leader clothing, into something more casual. "Ready?"  
  
"That was quick.. yeah, let's go."  
  
------  
  
"This is, like, the best place to eat," Whitney smiled, taking a seat at the table the waiter had escorted them to. "They have all sorts of highly trained Pokemon bring you your food. I love going here."  
  
"Is that so?" Eric asked, looking around at the other tables. Sure enough, all sorts of Pokemon (they had pins to differentiate themselves with other Pokemon) were bringing food to the tables. They were able to do so as if they had practiced for many months, as they were graceful, and even the Pokemon that seemed the most clumsiest never spilt a drop.  
  
Whitney gave a nod, and smiled, looking down at the menu.  
  
"Can I get you anything to drink?" the waiter asked, looking down at them. "Ah.. Miss Whitney, I didn't know you were out wandering around with vagabonds tonight. Shall I get you the usual?"  
  
Eric glanced up at the waiter, feeling offended by being called a vagabond by someone he'd never seen before. Of course, he was a thief, so, maybe the waiter was right. "Yeah. The usual.. What'll you have, Eric?"  
  
"Oh.. hmm.. I dunno. The steak looks pretty good.." Eric nodded, looking over the menu once more incase he saw something else he wanted. "Yeah. The steak."  
  
"How would you like it done?"  
  
"Medium/Well," Eric shrugged. "Oh, and just plain water to go with that."  
  
The waiter scribbled a few notes on a pad, took their menus, and shuffled off to deliver their order to the kitchen. "He was certainly rude," Eric muttered to Whitney, glancing over at the waiter as he moved to take another couples orders.  
  
"I wouldn't worry too much about him. He just likes to look after me," Whitney giggled, causing Eric to quirk an eyebrow. "Actually, everybody here in Goldenrod looks after me."  
  
"I can see why. You're tough for a Gym Leader," Eric commented, causing her to turn a few shades of red.  
  
"Aha, don't embarass me," Whitney muttered, covering her face. Well, atleast she acted feminine. Mistral was about as tomboyish and unfeminine as they come, but he couldn't help but like that about her. "Eric?"  
  
His thoughts had wandered, and he found himself staring straight at Whitney. He wondered to himself how long he had been staring at her. "Are you okay? You had this weird look in your eyes," Whitney commented, leaning back in her chair.  
  
"Oh.. yeah. Sorry about that," Eric laughed a bit, trying to lighten the mood. "My mind wandered for a few seconds."  
  
Whitney leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table, leaning across it. Eric leaned back in his chair, feeling uncomfortable with her getting so close so suddenly. "So, tell me, is it true you stole your Pokedex from Professor Elm?"  
  
"Well.. yeah. Has the news travelled that far?" Eric asked, shrugging his shoulders, trying to shake his discomfort.  
  
"Yup yup. Alot of people are interested in you, not for the reward, just to see how determined you really are. You've got, like, a cult following now," Whitney smiled, leaning back in her chair as the food arrived. A Heracross placed their plates infront of them, before moving away. Whitney took her fork, and dug into her roast beef and mashed potatos.. Eric hated roast beef, but he kept that fact to himself. "Cult following?"  
  
Whitney gave a nod, and swallowed the food she had in her mouth. "Well, sort of. Alot of trainers are keeping track of where you're going, and how well you're doing in the Pokemon League Challenge. I'm sure word's gotten out that you've beaten me by now."  
  
That was definetely unnerving. People had been keeping watch over him, keeping track of him. Why would they want to follow him, anyways? There were alot of questions he wanted to have answered, but he settled with the answers Whitney had given him. "I guess that's cool."  
  
"Yeah. You're a pretty popular guy right now. I was anticipating your arrival.. and i'm sure the other Gym Leaders have heard about your triumphs by now," Whitney continued, shovelling another fork-full of mashed potatoes into her mouth. "And just between me and you, alot of people don't know that you caused the whole Violet City thing. If you ask me, I think Team Magma had it coming.. you haven't eaten any of your steak. Are you okay?"  
  
Eric looked down at his steak. It had a generous helping of steak sauce on the top, and Eric lifted his knife to it, cutting into it. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just, all the things that have happened have left a large impact on me."  
  
"I can understand that.. well, not by experience, but I can understand where you're coming from.. I think. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can use your Pokegear to give me a call. Or, you can fly over here on your Pidgeotto," Whitney suggested, smiling, taking another bite of her food. Eric finally managed to shove a piece of his steak into his mouth. "How'd you know I have a Pidgeotto?"  
  
"Falkner told me. He said he had never been so impressed with a bird Pokemon since when he first started being a gym leader. Speaking of which," Whitney nodded, leaning forward again. Eric felt himself get uncomfortable again. "Just between me and you, the best chance you have against the Gym Leaders is capturing Pokemon just before you challenge a Gym Leader to a battle. Make sure it's one that has an advantage, though."  
  
"How come?" Eric asked, managing to shovel another piece of steak into his mouth.  
  
"Well, the Gym Leaders are all out to defeat you. Well, now they are. So they're keeping track of what Pokemon you have, so they can, like, use tactics to defeat you. If you use Pokemon they don't know you have, you have a good chance of catching them off guard."  
  
"Like the Gastly I used against you?" Eric asked, feeling irritated. Whitney kept leaning closer and closer, so, he leaned towards her, so their faces were inches from each other. She realized she had gotten caught up in the conversation, and leaned back in her chair. Eric leaned back in his, and continued eating his steak.  
  
Whitney blushed, and took another bite of her food. "Well, no. That was a type advantage."  
  
"Then I don't have much to worry about," Eric shrugged.  
  
"I was just giving you some advice.."  
  
------  
  
Besides the dinner conversation, the rest of the night was uneventful. Eric had accompanied Whitney while she went shopping (which he didn't particularly enjoy), and walked around Goldenrod, while she showed him the sights. They had even went into the Radio Tower, though nothing interesting was going on, since it was late into the night. Their last stop was the Gym again.  
  
"Aw, dang," Whitney muttered, picking off a couple of strips of paper off her door. "I thought you were the last of the day.."  
  
Eric moved up next to her, pulling off one of the strips of paper. It read, 'Eugene, Trainer. Why were you closed? You weren't scheduled to close for another hour'. Well, it was good to know he was one step ahead of Eugene. "I see.. I could've waited an hour for you to fight these trainers."  
  
"It takes longer than an hour to fight four trainers," Whitney commented, putting the papers into her pocket, opening the door to her Gym. She stepped inside, turning on the light. Eric stepped in behind her, and closed the door behind her. His Pokegear flashed the time, '11:23 PM'. "Because you have to go and get your Pokemon healed, and then come back, and then get them healed again.. It's a grueling process, and it goes on every day. I don't get much of a break."  
  
"Yeah," Eric muttered. He knew what it was like to not get a break, though, like Whitney, he had accepted that life when he stole the Pokedex and went off on his own. Whitney was given that life, and didn't have much of a choice.  
  
"You know, you could stop being so cold. You've been like that ever since I brought up the whole Violet City incident," Whitney yelled, turning. She wasn't expecting Eric to be right behind her, as the force of her turning sent them both falling over onto the soft grass that lined the gym. Eric caught her as she fell, and looked up at her.  
  
"Sorry. It's just a hard subject to talk about," Eric muttered, watching her blush. "So I try to avoid the subject."  
  
Whitney stared down at him, unable to stop her blushing, as she nodded. "I u-understand.."  
  
They stared at each other for a few moments, before Whitney moved to a sitting position, allowing Eric to sit up as well. He closed his eyes, and heaved an inward sigh. Love was such a fickle thing.. and the last thing he needed was someone pining over him, distracting him from his Pokemon League aspirations.. but wasn't that what Mistral was doing?  
  
Before Eric could think twice, Whitney wrapped her arms around him, pushing him back down to a sitting position, kissing him deeply. His mind was clouded with the storm of emotions that he just promised himself that he wouldn't allow himself to feel, and he felt confused, as he kissed her back. Her kisses seemed hollow, but held something he hadn't felt before. He just couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
"Eric.." Whitney breathed, opening her eyes as she released him from her kiss. "Make love to me.."  
  
That was a bit too much for him to handle. "I thought we were friends. You have more things to worry about, than making love to someone you only like because he's doing something you've never seen anyone else do." He made his way to a sit, trying to stand, but Whitney kept her arms around him. Her weight caused him to fall back onto his butt. "Let me go. I'm going to the Pokemon Center. I had a fun night, thanks for the dinner, but you're just going too far.."  
  
Whitney's eyes began to fill with tears, but it was hard to tell if they were fake or real.. women had that weird ability. "What is it? Don't you like me?" She asked him, wrapping her arms around him tighter.  
  
"I like you, sure, you're a great trainer and Gym Leader, but I have other things I need to take care of before I go out and make love to every woman that's attracted to me simply because I have a cult following, or because i'm 'fighting the machine' by illegally challenging the Pokemon League," Eric explained, putting a hand on her chest, pushing her away gently. "Now, i'd like to get some sleep.."  
  
Whitney pressed herself against him tighter, and closed her eyes, whispering something Eric couldn't make out. Finally, she released him, slowly moving to a stand. Tears were falling from her face as if someone had broke the valve to the waterworks. "If you won't make love to me, atleast stay the night. Please."  
  
That would certainly cause Mistral to go into a temper tantrum, but it was the least he could do. He had made himself clear that he wasn't looking for love, not until he had completed his goal, and she seemed to understand, as much as she didn't want to.  
  
She left the lights out in the backroom, as she stripped down, pulling on only a pair of boxers, from what it looked like in the moonlight. Eric only took off his shoes, before climbing into the gym leader's bed. He laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling.. it felt like it was the same ceiling he had been staring at a few days ago in Bugsy's gym, only he was in a less awkward position. He heard the rustling of the blankets, as Whitney slid underneath them, wrapping her arms around him.  
  
"Hold me tonight.. just tonight.." Whitney whispered into his ear. What could he do? He was beginning to feel bad about his decision, but there wasn't much he could do now. He wasn't going back on his word. His arms wrapped around her half-naked body, holding her close to him. It reminded him of a saying he had heard. If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it'd be yours forever. That's what it seemed like Whitney was doing. He was beginning to feel tired, and he had to think of an excuse to give Mistral. Or would he just tell her the truth?  
  
Whitney fell asleep, her chest pressing against his own chest. He wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. And he wasn't looking forward to tommorow morning.  
  
-----  
  
End Chapter 11 


	12. Chapter 12

"Well, good morning," a familiar voice cracked through his defenses, into his concious mind. "I've been trying to wake you up for an hour now."  
  
Eric opened his eyes, looking over at Whitney. She had gotten dressed, and was leaning in through the door. Eric rubbed his head, and glanced around groggily. He couldn't remember when he had gone to sleep, and he let himself come back to reality. The events of last night returned to him, but Whitney didn't seem to be affected by what had happened.  
  
He moved to a sit, and picked up his shoes, sliding them onto his feet. He had only now noticed that they were Devon Corporation. His mother had gone all-out when she went shopping. "Your friends have been watching me train my disciples most of the morning. I told them that you fainted, so you wouldn't get in trouble," she winked at him, moving through the door. "They're waiting outside, but.."  
  
Whitney hopped onto the bed next to him, as he was pulling on his other shoe. He wasn't quite sure wether or not to thank her for covering for him, but he didn't think Mistral would be so dimwitted as to believe a claim like that, especially from Whitney. "Why don't you stay a while? C'mon. It'll be fun. I'll let you play Gym Leader for a while. I bet you can whomp anyone who comes in. How about it?"  
  
"No thanks," Eric forced a smile at her, moving to a stand. "But i've got to get back to my gym circuit. Now that I have your badge, and i've gotten my supplies in check, I need to get to the next city.." Whitney didn't have much trouble wrapping her arms around him, and pulling him close. "Enough with the hostility already. I'm content with the fact that you're more interested in Badges than in women, but you'll come around sometime."  
  
Perhaps Whitney was right. Well, he had said that for himself, anyways. Perhaps when he became Pokemon League Champion, if he ever did, then he'd save a bit more thinking room for the opposite sex. Right now, there were more important things on his mind. "Yeah. Sorry."  
  
"Don't be. I can understand completely," Whitney smiled, pecking him on the cheek. "Now, go out there and have fun with your companions. Oh, and don't hesitate to call me on your Pokegear if you need me, okay?"  
  
-----  
  
"Alright. You can pass. You'll be entering Route 35. You can go into the national park, or just head straight into Route 36," the security guard muttered lazily, leaning his chair back up against the wall.  
  
"Thanks," Eric nodded, moving to the door. He opened it, allowing Mistral and Edd passage to the sunlight outside.  
  
"So, how's your head, ya?" Edd asked, glancing up at Eric, grinning. Eric could tell Edd hadn't believed Whitney's cock and bull story, but what made it worse was that he had his own thoughts on how the date went. "My head's fine. I hope I didn't worry you guys?"  
  
Edd laughed, looking over at Mistral, who was following along, seemingly oblivious to everything around her. "Well, Mistral nearly bust a major artery when you didn't show up before the Pokemon Center closed. We got inside before it did, and went to sleep. We figured that you were late, but we didn't know you had hit your head."  
  
"He fainted, and hit his head on the ground, Edd. There wasn't anything he could do.. speaking of which, why did you faint, anyways, Eric?" Mistral inquired, looking over at him with those innocent eyes of hers.  
  
"She wanted to see my Gastly, so I released it, and it thought it'd be fun to knock me out," Eric explained. Edd nearly fell off his Lairon in laughter, and the Lairon struggled to move its center of gravity, so it wouldn't fall over. "What's so funny, you little punk?"  
  
Edd rubbed his eyes, trying to contain his laughter. "Oh, nothing. I just remember watching a Gastly do that to its trainer before. It was pretty funny, ya."  
  
They passed a sign that read, 'Keep going North to enter the National Park.' Mistral, however, had other plans. "I did a little research while you were gone, and there's this great spot of water off of Route 36 and 37 that have Shellder in it. What better place to continue your Slowpoke training than there?"  
  
"But I wanted to go to the Bug Catching Contest at the park.. It's Saturday, y'know," Eric muttered, though, the prospect of getting a Slowking was certainly overpowering as compared to catching Bug Pokemon. He already had a Bug Pokemon, anyways, but he had watched a competition on TV, where a lucky trainer caught a Scyther.  
  
"Aw, c'mon. We can always come back after we beat Morty in Ecruteak City," Mistral edged him away from the guard house for the National Park, and towards the side path that wound towards Route 36 and 37. Eric struggled, but Mistral insisted that she lead them off the path, when they had reached a signpost that read, 'Route 36/37'. She lead them through the trees, and soon enough, there was a relatively large river with a steep bank. It was obvious that it lead out into the ocean at some point, so it was obvious that Shellder and other ocean Pokemon might have wandered into the river.  
  
Eric brought out his fishing pole from his backpack, as did Mistral, who was quick to toss her bobber into the water. She laid down on the grass of the slope, holding the pole in the air. Eric put his together, and laid out next to her, throwing his own bobber into the water. Other than the sounds of Pidgey, and the call of a Farfetch'd, it was pretty quiet.  
  
"Why don't you have a fishing pole, Edd?" Eric asked, glancing over at him. He had released his Pelliper, who had already scooped up a Goldeen, and was struggling to keep it in its mouth. "Never bothered to buy one. Once I got Pelliper, I never needed a water Pokemon."  
  
"You might want to get a secondary water Pokemon," Mistral advised. "Because against electric Pokemon, your Pelliper won't do too well."  
  
Edd rubbed his chin for a moment. "Is that so? So that's why he fainted so quickly against electric Pokemon.. I always thought it was because he was weaker."  
  
"Looks like Edd could use with a bit of teaching," Eric snickered, looking down at the bobber, which floated in the water, untouched.  
  
Mistral glanced over at the two. "Edd has an excuse. He's a junior trainer, he's learning,"  
  
"Yup. It's a fun life. But being around such an inspirational Pokemon trainer like Eric helps me learn alot about what the Gym Leaders are going to be like when I run the circuit," Edd commented, stretching, closing his eyes against the bright afternoon sun.  
  
"So, how did the date go?" Mistral asked, causing Eric to cringe slightly. He was hoping she wouldn't bring up the subject, but that might've been the reason that she even lead them out here in the first place, instead of letting him enter the competition.  
  
Eric took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. "Fine. We went out to dinner at this nice restaurant, I told her about myself, she told me about herself. Then we went back to her Gym, and that's when the incident occured. Before I fainted, though, I pointed out to her that she should use her Miltank's 'Milk Drink' ability if her Miltank's running low on energy."  
  
"I thought that was odd that she wasn't using that when the Mankey had attacked it, but I suppose it wouldn't have mattered once the Primeape was on the field," Edd commented, stretching again. "Ahh, nothin' like lazying around on a sunny day. Too bad it won't last. Winter's coming soon, ya?"  
  
Eric felt grateful that Edd had changed the subject. "Yeah. Pity. I was enjoying the warm weather."  
  
Mistral sat up quickly, tugging at her pole. "I've got a bite!" Eric leaned over, and grabbed her pole, to assist her with bringing out the Pokemon that had taken the line. After a few hearty tugs, the water gave a loud splash, and out of it came a Shellder, which plopped onto the shore helplessly. It stuck its tongue out, and looked around at the people around it.  
  
"Perfect!" Eric dug through his pocket, pulling out the Slowpoke's Pokeball. Not having enough room to throw it, he simply allowed it to open in his hand, the red light releasing the Slowpoke, which looked around stupidly.  
  
"Slowwww..?"  
  
"Alright, Slowpoke. Step two, have that Shellder bite your tail!" Eric commanded. The Slowpoke had already seen the Shellder, and clambered slowly towards it. The Shellder, more than happy to oblige to its wishes, clapped its bivaulve, moving closer to the Slowpoke. The Slowpoke turned, exposing its tail to the Shellder.. and then..  
  
"Alright! It's evolving!" Eric grinned. His Slowpoke glowed a bright white, and began to grow taller, bulkier. However, it was at that point, he felt the tugging at his backpack. "What the..?"  
  
Opening the accessory pouch on his backpack, where he had stowed his TM's, a glowing ball shot up out of it, and hovered in the air for a moment. Mistral looked from him, to the ball, and Eric gave a slow shrug. Before anything could be said, the ball shot over Eric's shoulder, absorbing into the glowing white form of the evolving Slowpoke.  
  
"That was the King's Rock.." Edd concluded, quirking his eyebrows in interest. The backend seperated from the glowing mass, and leapt into the air, landing on the head. "I think it's evolving into something else.."  
  
"It's evolving into.." Mistral muttered, her eyes wide in what looked like fear. It was hard to tell. The bright light suddenly leapt off the form of the newly evolved Pokemon, who put its hands behind its back, watching the light float harmlessly to the ground.  
  
"Well, hello there, Eric. I was wondering when you'd figure out the combination," the form spoke clear english. "You can call me 'Slowking', or you can call me whatever you want, since you're my trainer. It's a pleasure to meet a fellow so ambitious as yourself.. someone who would take a weak Slowpoke and use him in important battles and events. Why, it would bring a tear to my eye, if I had tear ducts."  
  
Mistral looked the Slowking over. It looked like a regular Slowbro.. no. It had a smarter aire to it. It didn't look as dopey as the Slowbro, and different yet, was the Shellder that latched to its head. It had a large red jewel in the middle, near the top.  
  
"My god.. So that's the trick to getting a Slowking. Using the King's Rock.. So the other methods of getting the Slowking work, but are too slow and take too much time. But if I put the King's Rock up to the Slowpoke while it's evolving, it evolves into the Slowking," Mistral said aloud, her eyes still wide in shock.  
  
"Ah. You must be Mistral. A pleasure to meet you, as well. And, Edwardo Hugo Davidson the Third.. it's a pleasure to meet you, as well," the Slowking bowed to each person in turn. "I believe that I shall be moving outside the Pokeball now, of my own free will, since I can now keep up with the group?"  
  
Eric's mind fell back to Whitney's advice. Was he really being watched? And if he was, who was keeping track of his advances? "Well, what're Pokeballs like?"  
  
"Dreadful things they are. They simulate the type of environment we'd like the most, but it's not the real thing, and it's awfully cramped in there. Please, allow me to follow you outside the Pokeball, and dispense advice to you. I can even translate, if you'd like," Slowking smiled, wallowing down into the water. "Now, if you don't mind, i'm going to wade about in the cool water. I miss how it refreshed me as a Slowpoke."  
  
Eric slowly moved to a sit, as did Edd and Mistral. Edd, who was in shock, edged closer to Eric. "He knew my full name. I've never told anyone my full name."  
  
"Wait a second.. Edwardo Hugo Davidson the Third.. You're the descendant of Teron Davidson, one of the first Pokemon League Champions.. One of the first to defeat the Elite Four of those times," Eric muttered, looking over at Edd. "Well, I guess I shouldn't judge you after one of your long dead ancestors.."  
  
"Yeah. I am. Just don't tell anyone, ya?" Edd smiled, laying back, staring up at the clouds. "Though, I wish I could have a Slowking."  
  
-----  
  
"Ecruteak City is home to the infamous Burned Tower, where the three Legendary Dogs were said to be found. I wonder if they're still there," a trainer asked the female trainer he was with, as Eric's small group passed them on their way into Ecruteak. "Nah. I doubt it. I just want a Magmar."  
  
Mistral glanced at Eric, who was looking straight ahead at the Burned Tower that loomed in the horizon. The Legendary Dogs wouldn't be there.. he knew that for a fact. They were off running through the many winding routes of Johto. There would be no way to catch them unless they came to him again, which was slim to none in the way of his chances.  
  
"Are you okay?" Mistral asked Eric, as they passed a sign that read, 'Welcome to Ecruteak, home of Morty and the Fog Badge!'. A picture of Morty standing next to a Haunter added emphasis to the specialty of the Gym Leader there. "Yeah. I've never been better. I'm back on the Gym circuit, and i've never been better."  
  
"I'm looking forward to seeing Whirl Islands. Someone told me that Gyrados cause the whirlpools, but I doubt it. Though, if they're right, I might just catch me one," Edd nodded, looking quite determined. Eric glanced down at the Lairon-riding trainer.. he would definetely have a much better start than Eric had. Infact, he wouldn't be surprised if Edd breezed through all the badges.  
  
"Well, look who it is. Eric, what took you so long? I was beginning to think that I had lost you," a familiar voice called him to his right. Eric stopped, and looked over his shoulder. Eugene was sitting on top of a large boulder, Pokeball in hand. "Nice lookin' Pokemon you got there. Isan't that a Slowbro?"  
  
The Slowking turned to look at Eugene, and narrowed its eyes. "I daresay, you're the one that called me weak. Well, we'll just have to see how true those claims are after I -- mphh!" Eric put a hand over the Slowking's mouth.  
  
"Uh. Yeah. That was why I went off the route, to catch a Shellder to evolve him," Eric explained, Eugene quirking an eyebrow. "Well, Slowbro or not, it's still probably just as useless as the Slowpoke. Alright. Got time for a Pokemon battle?" Eugene challenged, hopping off the rock. "You know I was going to challenge you sooner or later."  
  
"You're on. Alright, 'Slowbro'. You're first." Eric nodded towards the Slowking, who stepped forward, rubbing his hands together menacingly. Whitney was right about having a secret weapon.. though it wouldn't get him a badge, it would certainly be useful against his rival.  
  
The Pokeball in Eugene's hands opened to reveal a small, yellow form. A Jolteon. It let out a cry, and focused its eyes on Eric's Slowking. "Alright, Jolteon! Agility!"  
  
"Okay, Slowking. You don't even need to guess where it is. Use your Psychic attack!" Eric commanded, clenching his hand into a fist. The Jolteon was running circles around the slower Pokemon, looking confident.. well, up until it got slammed by an invisible force, going skidding to a stop infront of Eugene.  
  
"Okay, Jolteon. Get up, and try again. Thunderbolt!" Eugene commanded, pointing towards the opponant. "Slowking, Light Screen!"  
  
The Slowking raised a paw, and formed an invisible barrier. It shone slightly in the sun, the only indication that it was there. Mistral had wandered off from the group, but Eric was too busy to look for her. The thunderbolt collided with the invisible barrier, and disappeared. Eugene narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Okay, Slowking. Hit him with another Psychic so he can bring out a Pokemon that might stand a chance," Eric grinned, watching the Jolteon get hit soon after by the same invisible force that had hit it only moments before. The Jolteon fell over, and was summarily returned to its Pokeball. "Well, your psychic Pokemon would make short work of my fighting Pokemon.. so i'll throw out my next best Pokemon. Skarmory, go!"  
  
The Pokedex was out quicker than the Pokemon. ~"Skarmory, an armor Pokemon. One of the newly discovered Steel-type Pokemon, this Pokemon has incredible defenses, and its sharp wings give it excellent speed and attack."~  
  
"Alright. Slowking, use Disable, so it can't move!" Eric commanded. The Slowking pointed towards the Skarmory, who stopped moving completely. It glowed a faint blue, before floating into the air slightly. "Now, use Curse, and crack its armor with a Headbutt!"  
  
"Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" It let out a weak cry, but seemed unable to move. Which was a pity, because the Slowking was gathering power. Finally, the Slowking bent over, and charged at the Skarmory.. it released the Disable at the last second, slamming its hard shell head into the Skarmory's chest, sending it flying hard into the boulder behind it, where it flipped into the air, did a complete one-eighty, before falling near the sign, knocked out.  
  
Eugene was quick to recall his Skarmory, before moving over to Eric. He held out his hand, which Eric took, shaking it. "That was an interesting fight, but I didn't stand a chance. I thought that you'd still have a Slowpoke, not a powerhouse like your Slowking.. I've already got the Fog Badge, so I won't hold you up. I'll train harder, and find a Pokemon that can counter your newly evolved Pokemon.. until then.."  
  
"Take care," Eric called after Eugene, as he walked off towards the entrance to Route 38. He waited until his defeated rival retreated into the guard house, before turning to Mistral, who was sitting beneath a tree, happily chatting away into her Pokegear. When she saw Eric looking, she said a few more words, then pressed a button on the Pokegear, pocketing it. "Hey. Did you guys see the battle?"  
  
"I was amazed. Your Slowking is truly powerful. If it is as powerful as I think it is, then you won't have a problem against Morty," Edd nodded, still rooted to his spot just behind and to the left of where Eric was. "Most of his Pokemon are part poison, which is weak to Psychic. You have the battle in the bag."  
  
Slowking moved over to the small group, arms behind its back. "Yes, well, Morty uses alot of Pokemon, so why don't you make the battle more fun and use other Pokemon, and not just breeze through it? I don't mind being last."  
  
"He's got a point," Mistral pointed out, nodding towards the Slowking, who nodded back. "Just don't use your Primeape. It won't land any hits."  
  
"But Morty is out," Edd muttered, pointing a thumb back at the Pokemon Gym. "Out to lunch, I think. Or might be out healing his Pokemon, if Eugene beat him."  
  
Eric gave a shrug, sitting down next to Mistral, enjoying the shade of the tree. Edd soon joined them, hopping into Mistral's lap, who blinked in surprise, before shoving him off. "That seat's reserved, you little twirp," she muttered, grinding her fist into the top of the small trainer's head.  
  
--------  
  
"Welcome to the Ecruteak City Pokemon Gym," a man with glasses smiled, arms open wide, moving close to Eric, as they entered the Gym. He tried to escape, but was embraced by the man, who quickly held him in place. "Y'know what, kid? You've got some potential. I hear alot about you. And I know you're the next person to get into the Pokemon League." Eric opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by the man's index finger to his lips. "Shh. Don't say anything. I've heard alot of good things, and, if i'm not mistaken, you're the fifth person in the world to own a Slowking. Congratulations, by the way. I think that you'll be the next champion. You'll reign for years, I bet. What do you say? Huh? I can give you all the advice that you need to defeat Morty."  
  
"I know how to beat Morty," Eric muttered, shoving the man off him. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to challenge Morty before I can battle him."  
  
The man shifted his glasses, and dusted off his front. "Alright, well, i'll be at the next Gym. You're gonna need alot of help with that one. If you need any help, Champion-bound Eric, just give me a ring on your Pokegear, or look for me in the Gym. Now, I think i'll stick around and watch the action. I want to see you beat Morty royally with your new Slowking."  
  
Indeed, Morty did seem nervous at the sight of the Slowking. He gripped his hands nervously.. he knew that, because his Pokemon were part Poison, that the Slowking would have an easy time with them.. even destroy them all before they even had a chance to move. Eric moved across the dark tiles towards Morty. "Alright, Morty. I challenge you to a match for the Fog Badge."  
  
"Challenge accepted," Morty muttered reluctantly, moving over to his side of the Gym. Eric moved to his side, Mistral and Edd taking a seat behind him to watch.  
  
"Ecruteak City Gym Leader versus Eric! Four Pokemon will be used in this match, so choose wisely! Ready? Begin!" The flags came down, signalling the trainers to release their first chosen Pokemon.  
  
------  
  
End Chapter 12 


	13. Chapter 13

"Go, Gastly!" Morty yelled, releasing his first Pokemon onto the darkened field. The Gastly seemed right at home against the black tile and walls. It floated around its master, awaiting its opponant. "Alright, Paras. Let's see what you're made of."  
  
Out of the Pokeball came the near-freshly caught Pokemon. It crawled up onto Eric's shoulder, nipping him on the cheek. "Ack. Okay, okay. Just go out there and show that Gastly for me. Use Spore!"  
  
"Gastly, Hypnosis!"  
  
The Paras leapt off of Eric's shoulder, causing the trainer to get hit by the hypnosis. He hit the ground, asleep, Mistral and Edd leaping up and hitting him to try to get him back up. "Get up! Get up!"  
  
The Paras's Spore attack overcame the Gastly, and its eyes slowly closed.. then shut completely. Little Z's hovered off its body. Eric came to, his face red from the slapping of his companions, but he got back to his feet. "Ahh.. Paras. Use Growth, then Leech Life!"  
  
The Paras concentrated, absorbing energy from around itself.. it grew a little bit, but then shot a small string towards the Gastly. The string stuck to the top of the sleeping Pokemon's head, and began syphoning a green energy from it. "Gastly, wake up!" No good. The Pokemon was still fast asleep from the effective Spore attack. And the Gastly was shrinking, little by little, as the energy was sucked out of it.  
  
"Arrgh. Gastly, return!" the Gastly disappeared, causing the small string to disappear in mid-air. "Alright. Haunter, go!"  
  
The next Pokemon to come out was a bit similar to the Gastly, except it had hands, and would've been a degree more scarier if it had been encountered in a dark alley. ~"Haunter, a gas Pokemon. Much like the Gastly, the Haunter can float through walls to get to whatever's on the other side. This Pokemon is much more mischievous, as it will mimic peoples shadows in the moonlight to scare them."~  
  
"Alright, Paras. Spore!"  
  
"Haunter, use Curse!"  
  
The Haunter pulled a needle out of nowhere, and pricked itself. It became a bit droopier than it had been before it had pricked itself, but little ghosts were now issuing from the Paras. The Haunter was able to avoid the Spore attack, to add to that. "Paras, Stun Spore!"  
  
The Paras began to shake, sending a dust of spores off onto the Haunter. The Haunter locked up, just hovering in mid-air. "Hypnosis, Haunter!" The Paras was looking steadily worse, and, as it fell asleep, it was obvious that it was down for the count. "Alright, Paras. Good job for your first battle. Return!" It disappeared into its Pokeball, and the second Pokeball was brought out. "Pidgeotto!"  
  
The bird Pokemon appeared from its Pokeball, eyes set upon the Haunter. "Alright, Pidgeotto. Prepare to take the next attack."  
  
"Haunter, Hypnosis!"  
  
"Pidgeotto, Mirror Move!"  
  
The Pidgeotto brought its wings up, revealing what looked like a mirror.. the mirror revealed the Haunter's attack, which bounced off the mirror, slamming into its user. The Haunter gave a yawn, and fell asleep, resting its hands under its head. "Perfect! Pidgeotto, Whirlwind!"  
  
In a thrust of its powerful wings, it began to create a small whirlwind throughout the stadium. Everyone had to grab onto their loose belongings, lest they lost them, as the Whirlwind picked up the Haunter, twirling it around and around. It woke up, became dizzy, and simply fell over. Down and out. The Haunter was recalled into its Pokeball.  
  
The next Haunter to come out was about the same as the first. Since the Gastly evolution was restricted to the same movelist, it was pretty uneventful. When the Haunter was finally recalled, Morty grinned. "Time for my secret weapon, so to speak. Gengar, go!"  
  
~"Gengar, a gas Pokemon. The Gengar is the last evolution of the Gastly family, and is powerful in many respects. Be sure to avoid its Shadow Ball and various Ghost and Dark attacks."~  
  
"Well, I don't have to worry about Ghost attacks. Pidgeotto, use Mirror Move again!" Eric commanded, pointing towards the Gengar. "This game's ours."  
  
"Is that so? Gengar, use Sludge Bomb!" Morty yelled. The Gengar rolled up a bit of itself, which turned into a ball of disgusting looking sludge. "Gengar isan't part poison for nothing."  
  
The ball was thrown, and, since the Gengar was part poison, the attack that was reflected didn't effect it. The Pidgeotto, now held down with the sludge, and looking worse by the second, was struggling to keep in the air. "Damn. Alright. Pidgeotto, return!"  
  
The Pidgeotto disappeared into its Pokeball, just as the Gengar had another Sludge Bomb prepped. "Alright, let's give my other new Pokemon a go. Dratini, go!"  
  
The Pokeball opened to reveal the Pokemon that had been given to him.. a Dratini. It let out a cry, and looked back at its trainer for orders. The Gengar nearly dropped the bomb in laughter. "Dratini, Twister!"  
  
Morty hadn't been expecting that. The Dratini began to spin quickly, creating a small twister where it had been. It was much faster like this, and it beared down on the Gengar in only a few seconds. The Gengar disappeared into the winds that were created by the Dratini.. until it came sailing back out of the attack. The ghost Pokemon hit the ground, swirls in its eyes, as the Dratini stopped the spinning, moving back over to its trainer.  
  
"Gengar's been KO'ed.. Eric is the winner! Congratulations!" the referee announced, pointing the green flag over at Eric's side of the gym. Mistral and Edd gave a cheer, running over to him to offer their congratulations, but the older man was there before they were.  
  
"Hey, what did I tell you? Huh? You've got skill, kid. You beat him with a Psychic Pokemon, and i've never seen such skill with a Pidgeotto before. Did I mention you've got a good chance of taking the Pokemon Leauge by storm? I mean, hey, you were great! Next up is Olivine City, she uses Steel Pokemon, but she's pretty surprising. You'll see. Take care, now!" the man spoke quickly, tipping his hat, brushing through Mistral and Edd to get to the front door of the Gym.  
  
"Man. That guy's rude, ya?" Edd commented, brushing himself off. "It's like it's a big deal that Eric's been taking on the Pokemon League."  
  
"Well, it is. He's setting the bar for trainers all around the world, so I think it's important that he keeps up his appearance," Mistral pointed out, matter-of-factly.  
  
Morty stepped over to Eric, and gave a nod. "I've never went against a trainer that didn't use Psychic Pokemon.. I'm impressed. Here. You deserve this Fog Badge. Take it, and get moving to Olivine City."  
  
The Badge was accepted, and placed into the Badge Case along with the others. "Thanks much."  
  
------  
  
The sun shone brightly the next day, as the trainers made their way down Route 39, causing the morning dew on the tall grasses to shine. The day was relatively peaceful, and not a cloud was in the sky. A flock of Pidgey migrated overhead, signalling the start of fall. The trees were already beginning to change colors, and many trainers were off to the south, seeking a warmer climate, or were over in Kanto.  
  
"You know, now that it's getting to be about that time of year, shouldn't we be switching into warmer clothing? I mean, i'm going to, but I don't know about you two," Mistral shrugged, looking around at the trees. Eric was sifting through the tall grasses, while Edd was feeding its Lairon long reeds of grass.  
  
"Yeah. But let's not worry about it right now," Eric shrugged, turning up a rock. "The weather around here won't start dropping for atleast a couple of weeks. Besides, if i'm lucky, i'll be through the Pokemon League and be in Kanto before the cold weather comes through."  
  
Edd hopped onto the back of his Lairon. "Don't get too cocky now, Eugene seems pretty determined. The Pokemon League is more challenging than you think."  
  
"True. But, have you seen the trainers during the Pokemon League Competition? They're lacking in ability, and I think that once i'm done with my Gym Circuit --" Eric was soon cut off, as a Tauros erupted from the nearby bushes, prompting him to leap out of the way, as it was heading straight for him. The Tauros ran across the Route, disappearing into the trees on the other side.  
  
Edd looked over at Eric. "What was that all about?"  
  
"I dunno, but.. wait a second.. do you feel that?" Eric lowered his voice to a whisper, tensing up for a moment. The Route grew eerily quiet, causing a few trainers that were walking north to stop. After a few moments, the ground began to shake beneath their feet. "What's that supposed to be.."  
  
"STAMPEDE!" Edd yelled, pointing into the trees. Sure enough, the bright glints of the eyes of the Tauros gave away their presence in the forest. All types of Bird Pokemon were launching themselves out of the trees in surprise, as they closed in on the route. Mistral meeped, and ran over to a tree, climbing it easily, using the branches to get to the middle of it. Edd was quick to command his Lairon to head north, where several other trainers were already headed. "Eric! C'mon and climb a tree!" Mistral called down to him. "Don't just stand there, you'll get trampled!"  
  
Eric quickly ran in the opposite direction he was facing. Mistral slapped her forehead, and let out a sigh. "That's the wrong way to run! Head for a tree.. yah!"  
  
The Tauros erupted from the forest and the brush, causing Mistral's tree to sway violently. Edd was pretty safe with the small group of trainers that were now watching the Tauros stampede.  
  
"Okay.. okay.. Let's see.. Gastly, Pidgeotto, Paras, Slowking.. Wait a second. Where's Slowking?" Eric glanced back behind him. The Tauros were approaching fast, and he wasn't even half-way across the route. That was a bad sign. Eric stopped running, and crouched down, closing his eyes. Well, this was it. That many Tauros would surely be enough to trample him atleast once or twice.  
  
However, as the hooves hitting the ground became deafening, he opened his eyes, looking around. The Tauros were moving around him, splitting into two parts to become smaller groups. They seemed to be scared of him, and therefore, avoiding him. As the last of the Tauros rumbled by, Eric stood, looking around. The dust that had been kicked up was thick, and it was hard to see anywhere, but up.  
  
As he waited for the dust to settle, something heavy hit him in the chest, easily lifting him into the air, sending him back a ways. He rolled to a stop, moving to a stand.. the wind was knocked out of him, but he didn't feel any pain. Staggering to stand up, he noticed the source of the problem.. an Ursaring. A large bear looking Pokemon, with a ring on its chest, and menacing looking claws. It seems that the Tauros had eluded it, but its new target seemed easier to catch.  
  
"Damn. Alright," Eric muttered, wrapping one arm around his chest, using his free hand to pull out a Pokeball. "Let's see you pick on someone that can take it. Primeape, go!"  
  
The Primeape appeared in a flash of light, and the Ursaring looked down at it, turning his attention away from the trainer infront of it. "Primeape, use Seismic Toss!" The Ursaring looked pretty surprised that it would be picked up by such a smaller opponent, and let out a loud snarl, as it was swung around. It was released after a moment, where it landed on the ground, skidding to a stop. "Hit it while it's getting up with a Body Slam!"  
  
Eric's Primeape charged, arms raised over its head, looking pissed, but not as pissed as he had seen it against Whitney. The Ursaring moved to a stand, only to get knocked off its feet by the crushing blow that was dealt to it, and it went sailing forward again. This time, it didn't get up. "Perfect. Good job, Primeape."  
  
Eric pulled out a Pokeball, and enlarged it. With the flick of his wrist, he chucked it towards the dazed Pokemon, hitting it.. but the Pokeball merely bounced off. The Primeape was breathing heavily, and its face looked a little red beneath its white fur, as it waited for results. "Well, what the hell.. That means that it's been captured already.. So that means.."  
  
"Well, well, I wasn't expecting to meet against a Primeape. I'm impressed, but that was my weakest Pokemon. I have a few other that are much stronger, and might prove a challenge," a voice called behind him. Eric turned, looking for the source of the voice. His eyes rested upon the form of a tall, skinny man. The trainer's face and hair was obscured by its cap, but it wore a white suit, with a big red 'R' on the front. "But, let's get down to business, shall we? If you join us, Team Rocket, we'd be glad to give you the recognition you need. We at Team Rocket are good at spotting trainers that are determined and have potential to help us in our goal. I've already pulled a few strings with my boss, and he says we can get you a high ranking position.. all you've got to do is follow me, and i'll take care of the rest. How about it, hm? Make it easy on both me, and you."  
  
Eric had heard about Team Rocket before, but not for a long time. Not since they were snuffed out by a few trainers with much higher potential. They were your usual band of ne'er-do-wells that went out of their way to try and capture rare and elusive Pokemon and cause major uproars, just to name a few of the things they normally did. They usually specialized in Pokemon that were of the Normal or Poison type, though a few people varied from this path, like their old boss, Giovanni, before he ran for the hills, leaving his gym in Viridian City abandoned, making himself scarce.  
  
"I'll think about it," Eric muttered, trying to make his tone as indefinite as possible. He didn't feel up to fighting until he could gather up his allies to back him up. He was usually a target for groups of people looking for revenge, or doing something they shouldn't, and they usually turned out for the worse.  
  
The man shrugged, and nodded. "Well, i'll tell the boss what you said, and he'll surely give you some time to think about things. You get great pay and benefits, too. I'll return sometime in the future, and see how you've been progressing. Until then.." the rocket recalled its Ursaring. "Oh, yes.. We've also got a little something you might be looking for, soon." The rocket grinned, and moved off towards the south, and Olivine City. Soon after, Mistral came running, looking out of breath.  
  
"Oh my god, you're not dead?! I mean.. I thought you were dead for sure! I saw you disappear in that stampede, and.." Mistral muttered, tackling him off his feet. He landed on the ground, cringing slightly. "Oh. Are you hurt?"  
  
"No. I took a hit from a Tauros, but i'll be alright. It's nothing major. I'll be fine in a few days," Eric lied, looking up at her. Her eyes were shiny with tears, but she hadn't been crying. She climbed off him, and gave him a kick in the side. "Well, don't ever do something that stupid again, okay?! You had me scared to death!"  
  
"Sorry.. Where's Edd?" Eric asked, looking around. "I haven't seen him since he galloped off on his Lairon. Him, and Slowking."  
  
Mistral glanced around, but she didn't see anyone, so helped Eric up. "You recalled Slowking into its Pokeball, remember?"  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yeah. You did. It was back in Ecruteak after you defeated Morty. I don't think you were paying much attention to anything around you, since it expressed its dislike, but you recalled it anyways," Mistral explained, looking around again. "Where is Edd.. Hmm.."  
  
Eric glanced around again, before rubbing his chin. "The man before said something about, he had a little something that i'd be looking for.."  
  
"Who're you talking about?" Mistral blinked, looking confused.  
  
"Before you came along, a tall man in a white suit with a big red R on the front approached me and offered me a job at Team Rocket. When I said i'd think about it, since I wasn't prepared for a fight, he mentioned that he had a little something for me that i'd be looking for soon. If you put two and two together, he was likely talking about Edd," Eric concluded, shrugging.  
  
"But how? He was with some other trainers. They would've helped him out, surely."  
  
"Unless those trainers were Rockets, too.."  
  
Mistral scratched the back of her head, and sighed. "Where did the man go?"  
  
"South, to Olivine City."  
  
"Then they were probably heading for Whirl Islands," Mistral nodded, pointing south. "It's the best hiding place, since it's out over the water, and it's hard to get to without a good water Pokemon or a flying Pokemon."  
  
Eric nodded, heading south. "Well, we'll beat the Olivine City Gym Leader, and then head for Whirl Islands, and see if he's there or not. I'm sure they're not going to be torturing him or anything."  
  
"I suppose they wouldn't stoop so low, but i'd really like to get to the Whirl Islands, first," Mistral muttered, wringing her hands nervously.  
  
"Listen.. We'll spend the night at the Pokemon Center, and then defeat the Gym Leader. Immediately after that, we'll get my Pokemon healed, and head out for Whirl Islands. I promise," Eric nodded, smiling. "It's going against my better judgement, but.. i'm sure he'd understand. And besides, we don't even know for sure if he'll be there or not."  
  
"Yeah. Right."  
  
------  
  
End Chapter 13 


	14. Chapter 14

The seaside town of Olivine City was one of activity. A few people traversed the beaches, enjoying themselves in the bright fall sun, and even a few were out in the water. Many people were out running errands, stopping at the local Pokemart, or making good use of the Pokemon Center . Olivine didn't have many features that made it stand out from the other towns.. with the exception of the lighthouse that stood on the end of the town, just off the water, at the highest point.  
  
"Wow. People told me that Olivine City was beautiful, but it's even more beautiful than it is in pictures," Mistral swooned, causing a few trainers to steer clear of them as they left for the northern route. "I bet it's even more beautiful when the sun's going down, or when the moon's out. What do you think, Eric? Eric?"  
  
Eric was long past conversations, now. He had a job he had to get done, and he had to get to Whirl Islands before sundown. Mistral hurried to catch up. "What's the rush? I'm sure Edd's alright. You need to be prepared for what you're about to go up against.."  
  
"No need. The Gym Leader's not even here," Eugene's voice muttered, as he moved out of the Pokemart when they passed. "I've been waiting here for two days for Jasmine to come back, but I haven't seen her. People think that she's been kidnapped, but a few locals think she went out for a while. Seems she's been out to the lighthouse more than once for days at a time."  
  
"Have you been out to the lighthouse yet?" Eric asked, turning to look towards the lighthouse. Mistral looked over at Eugene.  
  
Eugene shook his head slowly. "No. Not yet. I figure if she's up there, she has a good reason to be, and I shouldn't be one to intrude. There's no rush, and it lets me get some training in. I got to catch a few Tauros in that last stampede."  
  
Eric turned back to Eugene and Mistral, nodding a bit. "Well, i'm going to go up there. I'm in a bit of a rush."  
  
"Where are you headed?" Eugene asked, leaning back against the wall of the Pokemart, looking over the things in the bag. "Anywhere inparticular? Gonna skip to Cianwood?"  
  
"Well, yeah. You could say that," Eric nodded, turning back towards the lighthouse, and moving downhill, travelling on the path that was designed specifically for those travelling to the lighthouse, and the road connected to most of the other roads in the city. Mistral gave Eugene a wave, and rushed after Eric.  
  
Eugene pulled a Great Ball out of the bag, and looked at the colors on the outside, his reflecting showing clearly. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into.."  
  
------  
  
The top of the lighthouse was empty, except for a large table, a few chairs, and a small mini-fridge in the corner. If one shopped regularly, it was definetely possible to stay up there for a while, though sleeping would probably be uncomfortable. It seemed the lighthouse's Pokemon was gone, since it wasn't night yet.  
  
"Damn," Eric breathed, plopping down onto one of the chairs provided. He had run up most of the stairs, and it took alot out of him. Mistral stepped up a few moments later, having walked up the stairs.  
  
"Not here, huh?" Mistral asked, moving over to the large lighthouse windows. The sun was beginning to set. She turned around to look at Eric, who was still trying to catch his breath. That, and his chest was starting to ache again. "Well, nevermind that, come here and watch the sunset with me."  
  
Eric stood up, pushing the chair back under the table, and walked over to the window, standing next to Mistral, watching the sun set over the water. It was a majestic sight, but he was distracted from it when Mistral grabbed his hand in hers. "You know, I could stay here forever with you and watch the sunset.."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eric blinked, glancing over at her. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong with me," Mistral smiled, moving her arms around him, and resting her chin on his shoulder. "I just think that the view's really romantic, and who better to share the sunset with than with a friend, right?"  
  
Eric's eyes wandered from her, to the sunset, shrugging slightly. He could feel her breath against his neck, slightly, and he sighed softly, watching the last of the sun fall beneath the horizon. The light was beginning to dim in the small lighthouse, and the Ampharos of the lighthouse climbed up, stopping, staring at the two people that weren't normally there. Eric tried to shoot a glance back at the Ampharos, but Mistral's hand moved it back looking towards the dimming sunlight. The Ampharos gave a shrug, and began to shine its light, spinning around slowly.  
  
"Are you sure you want to go to Whirl Islands? No-one's ever been there for the longest time," Mistral coaxed him, rubbing her cheek against his. "I mean, they probably took Edd into the caves around the side of Cianwood, where there are sea caves.. It'd make more sense, anyways."  
  
"Why're you being all lovey-dovey all of a sudden? Don't you have a boyfriend?" Eric asked, bringing up a hand, removing her arms from around him, one by one. "Wouldn't want to disappoint him."  
  
Mistral shook her head, and sighed. "Eric, why're you so naive? I don't have a boyfriend. I didn't have any love interest.. I had never been to Cianwood before. You're the first trainer i've met that I actually like.. I mean, you're ambitious, you've done things other trainers haven't, and.."  
  
"And you only love me because of those reasons, yes, i've heard it before-- " Eric muttered, soon cut off as Mistral put a finger to his lips.  
  
"No. I love you because of who you are, and because I want to protect you. If you remember there are only three people who accept you for who you are, not because of what you've done.. well, i'm not quite sure about Eugene, but you know the other two," Mistral explained, smiling at him, wrapping her arms back around him. They were drenched in light for a few moments, before she spoke again. "Believe me, please. Let's avoid the trouble, and go straight to Cianwood and look there."  
  
Eric stared out over the ocean. The light had finally disappeared completely, and the stars were slowly appearing in the night sky. The moon was a half, and it lit up the waters.. and he could just make out what looked like a Mantine jumping out of the water a ways away. "... No. Something's telling me that Whirl Islands is where Edd's being held. You yourself said that the Whirl Islands haven't seen inhabitance for a while.. so what better place to hide?"  
  
"I.. ah.. Eric. Please, let's not.." Mistral muttered into his ear. "Don't be stubborn this time. For me, please."  
  
"That's why i've gotten as far as I have. Being stubborn and persistant.. it's worked so far, so i'm going to Whirl Islands. Do you want to come with me or not?" Eric asked, looking over at her face, which was right next to his, staring out at the ocean. "You can stay here, i'll be back as soon as I find Edd."  
  
Mistral glanced over at him, then nodded. "I'll come with you."  
  
------  
  
At dawn the next day, Eric and Mistral left the Pokemon Center, and moved onto Routes 40 and 41, mainly water, but taken up by jagged rocks and the Whirl Islands in the middle. Since Mistral didn't have a good Pokemon, Eric released his Slowking, which immediately began expressing its dislike of the Pokeball, but agreed soon after to allow Mistral to use him to surf, while Eric flew.  
  
"But you're going to get wet, Mistral. The waters can get cold, and you don't want cold clothes. The suggested course of action would be to simply change into a swim suit, and give Eric your backpack." Slowking suggested, wagging a finger. It reminded Eric somewhat of his mom lecturing him of swimming in the river around this time of year.  
  
"Oh.. alright. Just no peeking, okay?" Mistral muttered, pulling off her pack. She moved behind a cracking boulder, peeking out to make sure they weren't looking, and quickly changed into her bathing suit.. it was a two piece that wasn't very revealing, leaving much to the imagination. It was a satin-red color, and it looked good on her slim frame. "Alright. Let's go. Catch!"  
  
Mistral tossed her backpack to Eric, who caught it, and slipped it on over his shoulder. His Pidgeotto landed next to him, allowing Eric to climb on. "Don't sweat it. Just get me to Whirl Islands, and i'll take it from there."  
  
The Pidgeotto nodded, and flapped its powerful wings, sending sand up into the air around it. Once it got the hang of flying with weight on its back, Eric nodded down to the Slowking. Both Mistral and Slowking ran into the water, and Mistral leapt on its back, and it streaked off towards the south.   
  
"He's not swimming, he's using his psychic power. Alright, let's catch up to them!" Eric grinned, the Pidgeotto diving forward slightly, flying low over the water, using the air currents above the water to keep aloft easier. They soon caught up to Mistral and Slowking, and the Pidgeotto pulled up along broadside. "What's it like surfing, Mistral?"  
  
"Scary. Everytime we hit a wave, he goes flying into the air.. eep!" Mistral squeaked, as the Slowking hit another large wave, going flying into the air. It sailed for a few moments, then hit the water, nearly causing Mistral to lose her grip. "We're coming up to Whirl Islands. If we don't want to contend with the whirlpools, we'll have to jump the jagged rocks!"  
  
The Pidgeotto soared higher into the air, so it was above the jagged rocks. The Slowking jetted straight for them. "Ah! What're you doing, you stupid thing?! You've got to jump them or nullify the Whirlpool! AHHHH!"  
  
At the last possible second, the Slowking used its psychic energy to launch itself into the air over the jagged rocks, landing neatly on the other side, beaching itself on the sandy beach before the darkened entrance. Eric's Pidgeotto landed gently beside them, allowing Eric to climb off. He threw Mistral her backpack, which she slipped on quickly. "Looking good in that bathing suit.. we should go swimming more," Eric nodded, taking the two Pokeballs that belonged to the Slowking and Pidgeotto from his backpack.  
  
"Aw, you gotta be joking. You know how much I hate those things," Slowking protested, wrapping its arms around its chest. "I refuse to go in it."  
  
"Give it a rest. I'll call you if I need you," Eric rolled his eyes, recalling the Slowking and Pigeotto into their rightful Pokeballs. He then shrunk them, and placed them into his backpack. "Alright. Let's go in, then."  
  
Mistral moved up next to him, as he entered the darkened cave. "Are you sure you want to go in? I mean, we can still go back.."  
  
"You're not scared, are you? C'mon. You can't see where you're going, but that makes it all the more fun.. Oh, wait, you're clostrophobic. If you want, you can wait outside," Eric stopped, turning to look at her. "Go ahead. I don't mind."  
  
Mistral stood up on her toes, and looked over his shoulder, her eyes going wide as she saw that shadows approaching. "Ah! Eric, look out!"  
  
Before he could turn, he heard the shuffle, and felt something blunt slam into the back of his head, causing him to fall to the hard rock floor of the islands, his vision blackening. He felt his heart leap in his chest, and he grit his teeth. "Mist.. ral.. run!" Another hit over the head, and he was out like a light.  
  
------  
  
Eric slowly came to, staring at a solid metal wall. His forehead pressed against it, when he moved, and he slowly tried to open his eyes. The wall was cool against his skin.. he reached a hand up to the back of his head, moving his hand infront of his eyes to look. His hand was dry, except for a few flakes of dried blood. The back of his head must've been caked in it, and it felt it. But it didn't feel broken. Probably just a deep cut in the skin.  
  
The cot he was lying in was as hard as a rock, and he wondered why he hadn't awaken sooner. He shifted his weight, slowly standing up, feeling his head give a powerful ache, sitting back down. His surroundings didn't promise much.. he was behind bars, and he wondered for a moment if he had been caught by the police. He didn't hear anything in the way of noise.. it was only him breathing, and moving. He had no window, so the only light he had to look with was a light hanging from the ceiling outside his cell.  
  
He layed back down, laying his head down on the bloodstained pillow.. if you could call it a pillow. Not only was it caked in his own blood, but it seemed to be comprised of three smaller pillows, and could only be called comfortable to maybe a Growlithe or a Meowth. His eyes were beginning to close.. and then he heard footsteps. Unsure if he had gone to sleep and woken up later, since he had no idea of the time, he wasn't sure.  
  
"Ah. It seems you have awaken. It's good to see you up and about, Eric. I'm sorry I couldn't have gotten you cozier accomedations, but this was all I had left. I hope your head isan't hurting too bad.. would you like an asprin?" a dark voice muttered, causing Eric to look up. It sounded like the voice he had had in the dream about Kazin.. but the voice he had heard was much darker. This was the voice of someone else..  
  
"Giovanni?" Eric blinked, startled, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Here, infront of him, on the other side of the bars, was the only man that was wanted more than he was.. the so-called ex-leader of Team Rocket.  
  
"Even in such a dazed, confused state, you recognize someone you have never met until now. I'm impressed. This is the sort of thing we look for in higher ranking individuals. Maxie was right to suggest that we try to.. recruit you. Anyone who has the balls to take on a group of highly trained Team Magma grunts, and again, later, you defeat one of the same grunts you had encountered before, and two other highly trained grunts.. Needless to say, i'm impressed. I believe one of my administrators told you about what position we have for you here in Team Rocket.." Giovanni smiled, pulling up a chair, moving up close to the bars. Eric struggled to sit up on the cot. A rocket grunt appeared to his boss's left, handing him a glass of water, and two asprin. "Take this. It'll do that headache a world of good."  
  
Eric took the asprin and water, and looked at the name on the asprin.. it was the same brand as he had seen before. It was a maximum strength pain reliever, one of the best in the market at the time. "Thanks," he muttered, popping both of the pills into his mouth, and using the water to swallow them. He drank the entire glass, realizing that his mouth and throat was parched. The relief from the cold water was enough to cause him to close his eyes.  
  
"Now, let's talk business, Eric. You're a trainer aiming to become a Pokemon League Champion?" Giovanni inquired, resting his elbows on his knees, resting his chin on his hands.  
  
"Yeah. I'd ask you how you'd know, but it seems everyone in Johto knows by now. Why do you ask?" Eric muttered sarcastically, handing the glass out towards Giovanni. He reached in, took the glass, and handed it to the same grunt, nodding to him. The grunt saluted him, and scrambled out.. most likely to get more water.  
  
Giovanni nodded a bit, giving a chuckle. "I like your spirit. Anyways, we at Team Rocket respect those decisions, and it would be a shame not to let you tackle the Pokemon League Championships head-on, atleast not with the talent that you have. However, your respect will be less than you'd expect. They don't throw a parade, they don't interview you more than a few times for TV.. Even if you did make it through the Elite Four, the only way to earn true respect would be to defeat all the Kanto gym leaders, too."  
  
"I can do it. If i've gotten this far," Eric muttered, glancing over at Giovanni. The grunt had returned without him noticing, and Giovanni was handing him the glass. He accepted, and downed it in only a few gulps, before handing it back. Giovanni seemed pleased that he wasn't recieving much hostility.  
  
"Of course you can. I never said you couldn't.. I used to be the Viridian City Gym Leader, if you've read up on your history of Kanto, and I know talent when I see it. You pick it up when you become a Gym Leader. Speaking of which, only one trainer ever rose past Gym Leaders, to become a Pokemon Master," Giovanni nodded, speaking matter-of-factly. "But enough facts. Let's get down to business. I'm willing to let you have a high ranking position in Team Rocket ... no, i'll make you my right-hand man, only second to Maxie. No-one will have to know that you're a member of Team Rocket unless you tell them, and you'll be allowed to return to fight the rest of the Pokemon League after we've gotten a few important missions out of the way. What do you say? The pay is excellent.. I know how short you are on cash that you'd need to have Whitney pay for your dinner."  
  
Eric looked up at the grinning face of the man sitting just on the other side of the bars, looking it over. "How'd you know I even went out with her?"  
  
"Word gets around quickly when there's news of such an aspiring trainer, Eric. Also, the waiter is a member of Team Rocket that was undercover. We had alot of people watching after you," Giovanni nodded towards him, grinning still.  
  
"Eugene, too?" Eric asked, not going into detail.  
  
Giovanni quirked an eyebrow, shaking his head. "No. I don't know of a Eugene.. There are a few in Team Rocket and Team Magma, but no, I haven't had a 'Eugene' placed to watch after you."  
  
Well, that was one person he could trust. "Edd?"  
  
"Your friend? He's fine. He's being held in a sea cave that we occupy silently around the side of Cianwood Island, in the sea cliffs," Giovanni replied. "We've made sure to make him as comfortable as possible, and he hasn't been fighting much after we brought him in."  
  
"Well, i'm not joining you. So you may as well let me out of this cell, and let me leave," Eric muttered, slowly standing up. The world seemed to do a three sixty, and he leaned against the wall, shaking his head to try to bring the world back into focus.  
  
Giovanni smiled, shaking his head. "Now, now. Let's not jump to conclusions. Come here."  
  
Eric moved over to the bars, and leaned against them, looking out. In a large tube all the way to the left, where he could hardly see, was Slowking, unconcious, hooked to various machines, and floating helplessly in the water. He felt his gut drop at the sight of his Pokemon like that, and closed his eyes, feeling dizzy again. "You let him go.."  
  
"Join us, then," Giovanni muttered, clasping his hands together.  
  
"No."  
  
Giovanni laughed, shaking his head gently. "Ah. You're as stubborn as they say, Eric. Perhaps you'll change your mind when you see this.." He motioned his hand to his left, where the grunt had disappeared, and slowly, Mistral appeared, wearing a Team Rocket uniform. She was wearing a cape, which symbolized that she had either been promoted to administer, or was one to begin with.  
  
"Mistral?" Eric muttered weakly, trying not to close his eyes, as he looked Mistral in the face. Mistral didn't say anything, but simply looked to her left, down at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact.  
  
"Yes. Mistral was quite a help in our quest to have you join us. We used her just to make sure that you were as ambitious as Maxie had told me, and not just your common thief.. we have your Pokedex, Pokegear, and backpack, and will gladly return them to you once you decide to join our ranks. So.. what will it be, Eric?"  
  
Eric looked down at the cold steel ground, unable to think of anything to say for a good minute or so. He could feel Giovanni's cold stare, but when he glanced up, Mistral had left.  
  
"Yes.. i'll join you."  
  
Giovanni stood up, pulling the chair back against the wall, clapping his hands. Two grunts walked into the room, saluting. "Perfect. Now, I want you two to get his measurements, and get a uniform made for him. And make sure you get the cape that administers get, and also, don't forget the stripes that go on the arm that're typical of the higher ranking administers."  
  
"How many?" the grunt asked in a scratchy tone.  
  
"Six."  
  
"Six? But that's only reserved for your right-hand man.." the second grunt blinked in disbelief, looking into the cell at Eric.  
  
"Well, you've managed to solve the problem. A new record. Now, get moving," Giovanni ordered. The grunts quickly opened the door, pulling out some measuring tape. They allowed Eric to stand, before taking his measurements, quickly shuffling out, their hands on the exact measurements. "Now, you two.."  
  
Two female grunts appeared from the darkness, saluting. "You two take him to the top administrators room, the one below mine. It's his now."  
  
Eric walked out of the cell, following the two women as they lead him out of the cell room, leaving Giovanni behind. He didn't remember the rest of the trip there, but they had drawn him a bath, and left, leaving him alone in a large room. His Pokegear, Pokedex, and backpack lie in a chair against the wall. A large table sat in the middle, surrounded by chairs, all of them fancy looking. He had two closets, and a door that lead to the bathroom. His bed was gigantic, easily able to fit four people in it and still have room to roll all the way on both sides. It was a four poster, and had a canopy, and cloth that hung from all sides of the bed, so it could be closed for privacy.  
  
A golden Persian statue stood in the corner near the door, looking up at the air, its paw in the air, licking it. He'd never seen a Persian before, but it wasn't like the real thing, he was sure.  
  
The bath was a relief on his sore muscles, and he didn't even remember climbing into bed and falling asleep. Just another day he wasn't looking forward to tackling...  
  
--------  
  
End Chapter 14 


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning was relatively uneventful. At the foot of his bed, a newly tailored suit was set down for him to put on the next morning. It was the usual male Team Rocket uniform, but had a cape, and a neck clasp to keep it around the neck. It had the six stripes on the right arm, sewn in expertly. To top it off, black boots sat on the floor on the side of the bed.  
  
With a mutter, Eric sat up and proceeded to put on the uniform. They all fit snugly over his body, as he was sure they would, and as he clasped the cape so that it stayed around his neck, he felt kinda.. well.. important. He could understand what Giovanni meant when he said that he would be important to people, and he was right.  
  
His Pokeballs lay on the table, all six of them, and they looked to have been shined down. He was quick to recognize the Pokeball that his Slowking resided in, and gave it a tap. "C'mon out."  
  
It took a few seconds, but the Pokeball soon opened on its own, releasing the Slowking, who looked none too happy. "Now, I told you to keep me out of my Pokeball, and look where it gets you. You're part of some accursed cult, now, aren't you? I'm supposing you'll have to slit your wrists to get out, now, won't you?"  
  
"Listen, I only accepted so I could get out of that godforsaken cell, okay? My options were severely limited sitting all by myself in a cell, with no way to escape," Eric muttered, glancing over at his Pokemon, before taking a seat. "So you can see why I had to accept Giovanni's offer. He wasn't going to just simply let me out if I hadn't accepted and beg for forgiveness.."  
  
The door opened, and Eric hushed himself, looking over towards the door. Giovanni and Mistral came walking in, and Eric felt his stomach fall into that bottomless pit again. "Ah. It seems my right-hand man is awake. You slept for a while. As you see, you have your own tailored uniform.. ah, you're way ahead of me. You already have it on. Well, it looks nice on you."  
  
"Yeah, thanks," Eric nodded, looking away from the two. His boots were a nice distraction. Slowking turned to look at Giovanni and Mistral, shooting evil glares towards both of them, none too happy about the present situation.  
  
"Well, we'll be leaving on that mission I was talking about soon, so I want you to prepare your Pokemon. As you can see, they've all been tended to. Bring them all if you must. We'll be leaving in about four hours, as soon as the helicopter is prepped and supplied. Oh, and I must say, i'm impressed you managed to catch a Dratini so early in your Gym Circuit. Anyways, i'll leave you two alone to talk. You have alot of catching up to do." Giovanni gave a nod, and walked out, closing the door behind him, leaving Mistral, Slowking, and Eric in the room.  
  
"Betrayal of the highest form, I say! Traitor! Even you have decided to follow this accursed cult! Why, i've never been more ashamed of a human in my entire life!" Slowking ranted, wagging his finger at Mistral, who slowly took a seat next to Eric, who put his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands. "Quiet down, Slowking. I'll figure a way out of this."  
  
Mistral opened her mouth to speak several times, only to close it again for a few minutes. Finally, she worked up the courage to speak. "L-listen.. Eric.. I tried to warn you. They had all the Whirl Islands patrolled, and Cianwood, looking for you. I tried to warn you, but I didn't want you to know I was in Team Rocket.." she muttered, looking at her reflection in the glass of the table.  
  
"Yeah, well, I didn't know who to trust. Sure, I could've trusted you, but.. ah. My direction's just all fucked up now," Eric muttered, leaning back in his chair, resting his arms back at his side again. It was true.. he wasn't sure what to do, now, except to follow Team Rocket until he found a good opportunity to leave. "So why don't you just leave, and go boss around someone, since you're an administrator."  
  
"Is that an order?" Mistral whispered sadly, her eyes beginning to moisten.  
  
Eric closed his eyes, and thought for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah.. That's an order."  
  
Mistral rose, and moved towards the door. Though his eyes were closed, he could imagine Mistral ready to break into tears. For some reason, however, he called to her. "Mistral."  
  
She stopped, looking over at him. "You can stay if you want."  
  
Eric heard the door open, and then close. He opened his eyes, expecting to see her gone, but she had returned to her seat next to him, silently. Neither of them exchanged glances, or even spoke, for a few tedious minutes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Eric," Mistral finally apologized, rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform. "I know how much you must hate me for.. betraying you, but you have to realize, I tried to prevent you from being forced into this. I was supposed to keep an eye on you to see how well you were coming along.. and I was told to lead you to Whirl Islands.. but.. I fell in love with you.. and I didn't want to see your dreams shattered.."  
  
Eric's eyes wandered to Mistral, whose eyes were tearing up, and she was suppressing sobs, tears trailing down her young face. "When did this happen?"  
  
"I realized that I loved you when you went on that date with that woman.. Whitney. It was just so sudden, but while I was sitting there in that Pokemon Center with Edd, I felt something within me crumble, and.. I realized that I was simply in denial of my feelings, and I thought that if you knew about what I was doing, you'd hate me.. make me go away.." Mistral began, still fighting back tears. Eric nodded, still listening, his face emotionless. "So I kept following you.. when my boss, Giovanni, told me that I should direct you to search for rare Pokemon in the Whirl Islands, I tried to steer you clear of it. You would've been able to defeat the ones waiting for you at Cianwood with me and Edd's help.."  
  
Mistral finally broke down into sobs, and she was trying hard to get herself under control.. and he was actually beginning to feel sorry for her. When he had first seen her in her Team Rocket uniform, so helpless in that cell, being watched like a hawk, he had hated her. He had wanted to grab her and hit her as hard as he could.. but now, he pitied her. She looked just as helpless as he had looked in that cell.  
  
"I just didn't want you to hate me. I wanted you to realize on your own, I wanted you to seek out your own feelings. I wanted you to love me.. every night that passed after that, I wanted you to hold me. I couldn't stop wanting things.. from you.. I just.. I.." Mistral muttered, breaking down into sobs again. "P-please.. don't hate me.."  
  
Eric felt his heart sink in his chest. How could he find the room in himself to forgive her for betraying him.. she had gone out, flat out lied to him.. and he had trusted her. She had helped him.. but he had to forgive her. It wasn't her fault.. she was only following orders, and she had gotten much more than what she had been offered for the job. She seemed.. overwhelmed.  
  
"I don't hate you," he muttered, looking over at the golden Persian statue in the corner of the room. It was shiny, and vaguely reflected the contents of the room.  
  
Mistral lifted her head to look at him, taking a deep breath. "What?"  
  
"I don't hate you," Eric repeated, looking back at her, his eyes locking with hers. "I understand."  
  
"R-r-really? Y-you don't h-hate me?" Mistral muttered, trying to contain her sobs. A smile slowly crept over her face, and she was quick to tackle him off the chair, wrapping her arms around him.. but not before breaking into tears first. Eric pat the back of her head gently, looking up at her as she tried to control her crying. "Thank you.. I got you into this mess, I promise to get you out."  
  
"You don't have to. I can think of a way out myself, and you can stay with Team Rocket for as long as you like," Eric shrugged, watching her open her eyes again, whiping them off with her sleeve. At this rate, her right sleeve would be drenched in no time. "So you don't get in trouble. I'm in enough trouble as it is."  
  
Mistral shook her head, and kissed his lips, closing her eyes as they began to exchange kisses. Slowking shook its head, and clambered off towards the bathroom, probably to use the jacuzzi that had been put in.  
  
"Tonight.. When you get back from your mission.. come find me. Please," Mistral begged him, kissing his lips again, gently. "Promise me. I bet i'll have a plan devised by then and everything.."  
  
Eric stared up at her for a few moments, before nodding a bit. "Okay. I'll come find you. Where do I look?"  
  
"Third story, on the west side. That's where the women's bunks are. I'm not sleeping alone anymore, so make sure to be silent when you come in," she advised, slowly moving up so he could stand, reaching a hand down to him.  
  
He took the hand, and stood up, brushing himself off. "Alright. I'll see you tonight, then."  
  
"Yeah. Hey, how about we talk a walk down to the hangar before you leave?" Mistral suggested, shrugging slightly at the idea.  
  
"Sure. Why not?"  
  
Slowking made its way out of the bathroom, still steaming slightly from the bath it had taken. "Ah. Though this is a cult, it's very cutting-edge. Never felt water like that, no sir."  
  
------  
  
"All of the floors are connected by elevators. If you need to know where to go, just ask a grunt, or look on the wall. There should be a map on it that displays all the floors. Like, the cafeteria is on the third floor," Mistral gave an example, thumbing towards the map as they waited for the elevator. The doors finally opened, allowing the two in. A few grunts got off at that level, leaving the elevator empty except for them.  
  
Eric jabbed the button for the second floor. The doors closed, and the elevator began to climb.. finally stopping at the second floor. The doors swung open, allowing them to step outside of the elevator as a group of grunts, and a few administrators, stepped in to occupy it. "Certainly seems busy," Eric commented, glancing around.  
  
"It's like this before they go on a major mission.. do you know what kind of mission you're going on?" Mistral asked, walking east, where there were less people. Eric followed. "No."  
  
"It's a pretty easy one. You're going out and catching Kangaskhan.. Someone sighted a swarm over to the west of Kanto's Safari Zone, so it's free game. I think you'll get to keep one if you can capture it," Mistral added, turning a corner, only to stop. "What's taking you three so long? You're supposed to be cleaning the top admin's bathroom in fifteen minutes!"  
  
"I keep tellin' these two dimwits to get movin'! They keep talkin' amongst themselves!" the Meowth yelled, looking frantic now. Slowking blinked, and slowly moved over to the Meowth, poking it. "Hey, hey! Easy on the fur!"  
  
Eric stopped next to Mistral, looking over at the individuals she was talking to. He vaguely recognized the three, but was pretty sure he knew who they were when he heard the talking Meowth. "Wait a minute.. You two are Jessie and James.. and their infamous talking Meowth," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I thought you guys were in jail.."  
  
"We got out. The boss was nice enough to bust us out, bless his heart," Jessie stood, rubbing the back of her head.  
  
"Of course, we simply were stuck with cleaning duty until we shrivel up and die," James cried, hiding his face in Jessie's shoulder, who tried to push him away.  
  
With a glance over at Mistral, Eric nodded slightly. "Well, you three work for me now. The only cleaning you'll be doing is to my room. I want you three to accompany me on the mission today, so get your uniforms on as quick as you can, and meet me back here, okay?" Ah. The seat of power. In all honesty, Eric pitied them. Such wasted talent.. though, he could understand how they got caught. Team Rocket members were usually captured and thrown into the pokey by law enforcement, but since there as such a lack of it, there was never that much danger.. for criminals, anyways. Supposedly, Cinnabar Island had a rundown mansion full of escaped convicts, and no-one knew until someone went looking.  
  
Jessie and James blinked, looking at themselves in disbelief. "D-do you mean it?" James muttered, still with a clueless look on his face.  
  
"Yeah. No-one can tell you otherwise, unless it's Giovanni," Eric pointed out. "Now, get into your uniforms. You're wasting time.."  
  
With lightning quick speed, they tore off their cleaning outfits to reveal their Team Rocket uniforms underneath.. they were good at pulling that off.. "Ready to go, boss!"  
  
"Don't call me boss, call me Eric," Eric corrected them. "Also, Mistral is your superior, so when i'm not around, you'll take orders from her."  
  
Jessie and James saluted, looking tremendously thankful. He could understand why.. who knew how long they were supposed to stay on cleaning duties. A lower ranking admin strolled past Eric and Mistal, noticing the three not cleaning. "Yo! Why you not cleanin', huh? Must I whip you 'gain?!"  
  
"I ordered them to stop cleaning. They're working under me, now," Eric muttered, glancing over at the other administrator.  
  
"'zat so? Well, I overule your decision. Get back to work, you three!" the admin commanded, and Jessie and James put on confused looks.  
  
"You can't. I'm your superior. You only have four stripes.. I've got six," Eric muttered, trying to keep his cool. He hated bossy people like that. Pet peeve.  
  
"Eh.. So, you're the boss's new right-hand man? Well.. If you want to take these losers on as your helpers, you'll probably be carryin' them most of the way," the admin laughed, walking off. As soon as he turned the corner, Jessie stuck her tongue out, muttering under her breath.  
  
Eric turned back to the three, and nodded. "Alright, then. Walk with me. Let's get a few things straight, shall we? If my rules are too strict, tell me."  
  
"Let's hear 'em, boss.." Fwap. James gave the Meowth a good hit over the head. "Ow! Erm, I mean, Eric."  
  
"First off, don't come into my room at night unless you know for sure i'm awake, or it's an emergency. You three will sleep wherever you sleep now," Eric began, watching Mistral stop at another elevator, waving to him before stepping into it when it opened. Jessie and James gave a quick nod of recognition. "Second, don't take orders from anyone other than Giovanni. I'll be the one giving you orders, and if you're having a problem, feel free to see me.  
  
"Third, though I know you've probably been cleaning for a while, you are to tend to the upkeep of my room. The room shouldn't be hard to take care of, and it's only that room."  
  
They gave a sigh of relief, looking a bit put out by the fact they still had cleaning duty, but relieved that it wasn't as much as they were previously assigned.  
  
"Fourth, i'll be teaching you how to become proper trainers. Your Pokemon are powerful, but you aren't utilizing them correctly. I'll think up some more later, but it's time to go. You two have your Pokemon, right?" Eric asked, looking the two over.  
  
"Of course! I never go anywhere without my Weezing.. Jessie?" James blinked, looking over at the long-haired woman next to him. "Always. Let's get going already!"  
  
--------  
  
The hangar was a large space carved neatly into the rock of the seacliffs of Cianwood. Mostly, the hangar was littered with helicopters of all types, but there was an ancient looking airplane in the corner. The helicopter they were to take was a large one.. the kind for personell. Eric climbed aboard, as the engine was turning on, Jessie, James, and Meowth taking seats next to him.  
  
"Are you sure you wanna take them?" a grunt asked, looking over at Jessie and James.  
  
"Yeah. They have experience in the field, so it's not going to hurt anyone," Eric replied, the noise of the blades above them drowning out the rest of his sentence. The helicopter lifted slowly off the ground, and lurched forward, out the open hangar door, and over the open seas.  
  
--------  
  
"We're coming upon the place that has been pinpointed on the map!" the pilot yelled back to them. The two grunts unbuckled themselves, and loaded up what seemed to look like cannons.  
  
"I see 'em! Fire when you got a clean shot!" the second grunt yelled at the top of his lungs to be heard over the noise. There was a brief moment when they seemed to struggle to keep themselves aimed, then the one on the right fired. It wasn't an explosive device, but a giant net, with heavy weights, to keep the Kangaskhan in place. Though Eric couldn't see them, he could sense that they were in distress.. the second net was fired, adding even more weight and netting to the first. The helicopter touched down next to the group of Kangaskhan, and the ones aboard climbed out, with large bags hanging from each arm.  
  
Eric noticed the same pack above his seat (he figured they were parachutes.. so much for safety), and quickly snatched his up, leaping out of the helicopter. Jessie and James followed, and Meowth was quick to join them. They too carried bags, except for the Meowth.  
  
"Alright! Let them struggle for a few minutes to make them tired, then release a Pokemon that won't cut the net, incase a few do escape!" Eric commanded, looking around to the other trainers. They each released a Pokemon.. the first released a Cubone, another, a Murkrow. The third and last one released a Dodrio. Jessie and James were quick to release their Pokemon; Weezing and Arbok.  
  
The Kangaskhan struggled against the net, looking weaker and weaker as the minutes passed. Finally, Eric nodded to the grunts. "Okay! Start capturing! We've got another group to go before we can go home!" The grunts seemed to like the idea that the faster they got done, the sooner that could get home and put up their feet. Pokeballs were flying towards the group of Kangaskhan, and though some missed, most of them hit their marks, and the Kangaskhan were going fast.  
  
"May as well take one for myself," Eric muttered, throwing his own Pokeball into the fray. It slammed into a Kangaskhan, which disappeared into its Pokeball, before returning to the one that had thrown it. It was an odd occurance, but it was what was happening with all the grunts. However, Eric's disappeared from his hand in a bright flash of light, which meant that it was going his PC boxes.  
  
"Alright! Get back on the helicopter and load up the next round of nets! Let's go!" Eric commanded, nodding to Jessie and James, who were looking quite pleased with themselves for having caught so many rare Pokemon in only fifteen minutes than they had through most of their careers.  
  
As the helicopter lifted off the ground, each grunt conversing amongst themselves with their lips close to the ears of the listener, so they could talk over the noise.  
  
"You took one for yourself, I noticed. The boss probably won't be happy that there's one less," Jessie said into his ear, looking straight ahead. Eric leaned towards her, and put his lips next to her ear. "Don't sweat it. I'll just tell him that one of my Pokemon cut the net as we were rounding the last ones up, and it got away."  
  
Jessie laughed, though he couldn't hear it. He glanced over at James, who was looking out the window, before leaning back in his seat.  
  
-------  
  
Only an hour and a half later, they were nearly through with the last group of Kangaskhan. Their Pokemon were out, patrolling the net, looking for ones that might try to escape. A few grunts mentioned to him that the boss would be pleased at how fast and efficient the job would get done, and for once, Eric felt like he had accomplished something.. but then his heart nearly skipped a beat. Was he really beginning to enjoy the power, the control he had over people.. the respect he had with people below him.. with his own superiors? He tried not to think about it.  
  
"Alright. We've got 'em all, let's wrap up the net like last time for re- use, and get back in the heli-"  
  
"Not so fast! Stop right there!" a female voice yelled. At that moment, four Arcanine leapt from the trees around them, and began to run in a large circle. There would be no way they could escape on the helicopter.. it moved too slow. A few women, each with the same looks, the same blue hair, and the same uniform, moved out of the brush. "You're all under arrest for Pokemon poaching!"  
  
"What do you we do?!" James muttered, looking around frantically.  
  
"Keep calm. Our Pokemon are out, we outnumber them. It's only law enforcement, so have your Pokemon stun them any way you can, and let's get out of here," Eric commanded, releasing his own Gastly. "Gastly, take the one circling on our immediate right.. yeah, that one. Knock him out with Hypnosis."  
  
His Gastly laughed, and floated across the field, quickly knocking out the Arcanine with a powerful Hypnosis. The other grunts were inspired, and turned to their Pokemon.  
  
"Murkrow, Mean Look!"  
  
"Cubone, Earthquake!"  
  
"Arbok, use Pin Missile!" Jessie commanded her Pokemon.  
  
"Weezing, Toxic!" James commanded.  
  
"You too, Meowth. Use Fury Swipes or something," Eric commanded the idle Meowth, who looked around frantically, before nodding in determination. It, too, entered the fray, and was holding its own. Attacks were flying in every direction, as the grunts battled it out with the Arcanine. The Arcanine were either getting knocked back, or beaten completely.  
  
"Perfect, James! Keep having your Weezing use Toxic. Your Pokemon is a poison type, so it's more effective!" Eric encouraged James, who grinned, looking pleased.  
  
Before five minutes had passed, all four Arcanine; even the one Eric had dispatched temporarily; were recalled to their Pokeballs, and the Officer Jenny were forced to back down. "Alright, guys. That's enough. They don't have anything to stop us with, so let's just get outta here."  
  
The engine had started, and the trainers climbed aboard, leaving the Officer Jenny behind looking perplexed. All the grunts were giving each other high fives, and looked better than he had seen them any of them since his arrival at the seacliff base. Though, as he thought to himself, his thoughts returned to his thoughts from before.. was he really getting to like where he was?  
  
Would he be able to tear himself from this seat of power? The seat of power so simply given to him, that it would almost seem insane to throw it all away for a dream that seemed so far away?  
  
"Maybe what Giovanni said was right.."  
  
-------  
  
End Chapter 15 


	16. Chapter 16

"So were you able to think of anything since I left?" Eric asked Mistral, glancing over at her. The busy noises of the floors below had faded to nearly nothing, as night had fallen, and the grunts were getting as much sleep as they could before waking in the early morning to work another grueling day.  
  
"No. I couldn't think of anything. I figure, the safest thing to do, is to let Giovanni let you get back to your Gym Circuit, and get all your badges. When you get the chance, alert law enforcement to Giovanni's position, and when they capture him, you're off the hook," Mistral suggested, shrugging.  
  
"First off, the law enforcement is what i'm trying to avoid, Mistral," Eric muttered, causing Mistral to sigh in frustration. "I was thinking of something better, though, on the way back."  
  
Mistral looked up at him, her eyes wandering momentarily to Slowking, who was having a hearty chat with Mistral's Cyndaquil. "Okay, what'd you have in mind?"  
  
"Completely dissolving Team Rocket," Eric nodded to her in suggestion, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
Mistral gave him a curious look. "How do you plan to pull that off?"  
  
"Turning Giovanni's grunts against him. I've already started, if you haven't noticed," Eric shrugged slightly, heaving a loud yawn. "With Jessie and James. I'm sure there are more grunts that're sick of being treated the way they are. And, if I can get Edd back, it'll be that much easier. I just hope he's okay."  
  
"He's fine," Mistral reassured him. "I saw him the other day. He didn't like the fact that I was part of Team Rocket, or that you became part, but I told him the entire story, and he was alright with it. I'll see if I can get him released."  
  
Eric nodded. "Where would he stay?"  
  
"Cianwood, of course. If he needs to go elsewhere, he has that Pelliper," Mistral yawned, her eyes starting to droop. It was well past midnight, now, and the only people up were them.. and maybe a few other administrators.  
  
"I think I should be able to call Falkner, Bugsy, and Whitney to help out, if their numbers weren't erased from my Pokegear," Eric suggested, rolling up his sleeve, looking at his Pokegear. A few numbers popped up when he selected the phone option:  
  
Edd: 300-23-990 Mistral: 993-154-13 Whitney: 001-348-296 Falkner: 312-450-669 Bugsy: 111-752-015 Eugene: 000-122-94  
  
"Yeah. I've got them. I'll call them up sometime in the future, when I start finding people who'll follow.. I forgot I had Eugene's on here, though. Think I should ring him up?" Eric asked, looking up at Mistral from the Pokegear.  
  
"Well, depends on the situation. If things're getting desperate, you can call him and see if he's in the neighborhood," Mistral shrugged, standing up. She hopped onto Eric's bed, and sighed. "Mind if I crash here tonight?"  
  
Eric glanced back at her. "Not at all. Go ahead."  
  
"Great, because my mattress kills my back." Mistral crawled up to the pillows that had been lined up neatly at the head of the bed, and curled up beneath the covers, closing her eyes. Slowking and Mistral's Cyndaquil finished their chat, when Mistral had clambered into bed, and the Cyndaquil struggled up onto the bed, laying out near Mistral's stomach, and falling asleep. Or was it awake? It was hard to tell, its eyes looked closed all the time.  
  
Eric pulled over a book that he had requested, and looked at the cover. It read, 'Elite Four and the Pokemon League Competition Through The Ages'. It would be good to brush up on some effective strategies for the Pokemon League Competition.. though, as he opened it, he closed it again.  
  
"You're thinking too far ahead of yourself. You have a long ways to go, Eric. Think of this as.. a learning experience. Your joining this accursed cult might get you some powerful Pokemon to use in the future, as much as I hate to say it. Just remember the old saying.. 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'. And with that, I bid you good night, loving master," Slowking nodded, leaping onto the bed. It took the end across from Mistral, and settled down, closing its eyes.  
  
"I suppose you're right," Eric muttered, standing up, and moving over to the bed. He kicked off his boots and socks.. the cape came off, and the uniform top, throwing them all to the ground. Tommorow was another day, and another mission. He was briefed this time, though, upon his arrival back at the base. Something about Delibird.  
  
-------  
  
The next morning, Eric awoke to the sounds of whispers. He stretched, opening his eyes, looking around the room. He had fogotten to turn off the lights, and they had probably been on all night. Mistral was gone, but there were people in the room.  
  
"Ah, morning, Eric!" Jessie said cheerily, dusting off the gold Persian in the corner. James was busy wiping down the tables, and arranging the magazines neatly.  
  
"You guys are here early.. what time is it?" Eric muttered, rubbing his eyes.  
  
Meowth hopped onto the bed next to Slowking, who was still dead asleep. "Eh? It's about noon. We figured you'd be up by now, so, here we are! I'm watchin' 'em to make sure they don't goof up or anything."  
  
"Thanks.." Eric glanced over to the side. A chair was resting against the wall, with his uniform cleaned.. someone must've come in the middle of the night and washed it. He hopped out of bed (reminding himself that his uniform pants were still on, since they weren't with the clean uniform), and slid on his boots, and uniform. The cape went on last. "So, you three, how do you feel about the boss? I mean, Giovanni?"  
  
James and Jessie seemed to think about this for a moment, and James spoke up first. "Well, we've liked him ever since we joined up, but to be honest, he's a little uptight about failure, and we've failed so many times..." BAM! Jessie smacked him over the head, clenching her free hand into a fist. "Would you be quiet? Aha.. Well, we'd like to get out of here, but the boss has gotten strict on failures and.. well, you know. Hahaha!"  
  
"Yeah.. Well.. I want to dissolve Team Rocket." Eric stretched again, and scratched his side, as if the topic he brought up wasn't such a big deal.  
  
"W-what?" James muttered, looking around as if someone were there that shouldn't be. "You want to dissolve Team Rocket? What for?"  
  
Eric moved over to the table, which Meowth quickly pulled out a chair for him to sit in, which he did. "Er.. thanks.. well, I wasn't made for this whole Team Rocket thing. I mean, the respect is great, and the opportunities to catch rare Pokemon are higher if I stick around, I don't want to stay here forever. So, if I get enough grunts on my side, I want to cast Giovanni off the seat of power, dissolve Team Rocket, set everyone free.. and, if possible, dissolve Team Magma, too. How's the idea sound? You two with me?"  
  
Jessie and James looked at each other in disbelief, considering the possibilities. After a few minutes, they turned their backs to Eric, and huddled up with Meowth, talking amongst themselves. They soon turned back to him. "We've discussed your proposition," Meowth began, hopping up on Jame's shoulder. "And we think that it's a great idea. How're you going to get the popular support?"  
  
"Remember on the helicopter, when we came back from that successful capture round, ALSO defeating law enforcement?" Eric asked, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
"Of course. That was so great.. it felt so good to get out, and win against someone!" Jessie muttered happily, covering her eyes, as if to prevent them from overflowing with tears.  
  
"Well, all the other grunts on that flight were happy too. If I can make them happy.. persuade them to join me.. and overthrow Giovanni.." Eric grinned, leaning back in his seat. "Then I can dissolve Team Rocket. If they stay with me, and not go, i'll also be hunting down Team Magma with Team Rocket's resources."  
  
James and Jessie nodded, looking gleeful. "I like that idea," James grinned, nodding his head several times to add emphasis.  
  
"Now, don't go around telling a whole bunch of people about my plan. Alot of people are fanatics, and would die for Giovanni, so we need to avoid them at all cost. Leave the recruiting to me," Eric nodded. At that moment, he heard the door open, and his heart nearly stopped.. had someone been listening?  
  
"What're you three doing here?" Mistral's voice called from behind Jessie and James. Eric put a hand to his heart, breathing a sigh of relief. It was only Mistral leaving the bathroom. "Would you three get out of here? You've been cleaning since nine!"  
  
Jessie and James looked to Eric, who nodded, and they all crept out of the room, pleased to be let off cleaning duty so early. Eric watched them leave, Meowth closing the door behind them. Mistral had her hair wrapped in a towel, and a towel wrapped tightly around her upper body. She was still wet from taking a shower, but Eric hadn't heard the water running. But there she was, dripping water from her hair, and her shoulders wet, along with her legs.  
  
"I was hoping you'd still be asleep, so I could get dressed," Mistral muttered, walking back into the bathroom, returning with her uniform folded over her arm. "I'm getting dressed, alright? So don't look."  
  
"You could've just gone into the bathroom and gotten dressed," Eric muttered, shaking his head slightly, lowering his head and closing his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, I know, but teasing you is much more fun," Mistral giggled. The sound of wet towels hitting the floor alerted him, and he felt his heart begin to pound faster. There wasn't much sound after that, much to Eric's disappointment, but after a few long minutes, she finally chimed, "Alright! You can look!"  
  
Eric opened his eyes, and nearly flew off his chair. Mistral had either accidentally forgotten her uniform top, or left it off on purpose, because she was without it, and her breasts bounced freely in the air as she crossed the room, messing with her hair. She had put up her hair most of the time, but her hair was out.. she had longer hair than Eric had originally guessed. It reached as far back as her waist, and now that she had washed it thoroughly, looked alot better than when she had it up. "Did you, uh, forget your top?"  
  
"No. I just figured if I was going to tease you, i'd do it right," Mistral shrugged, closing her eyes, taking a brush to her hair. "Besides, it's alot easier to comb your long hair.." she paused as she hit a knot, "if you aren't wearing a top. Besides, you want me to look beautiful for your mission today, right?"  
  
He managed to pull his attention from her chest long enough to look up at her face. Her eyes were still closed, but she was brushing her hair still. "What do you mean?"  
  
"The boss wants me to go as the extra administrator. An extra administrator is an administrator who goes on high level missions, like the one you're going on, incase the main administrator is disabled somehow. That was, the grunts on the mission can still take orders. And you're taking Jessie and James, right?" Mistral asked, opening her eyes, smiling at him.  
  
"Uh.. yeah. I am. Those pair.. I mean.. they're talented, they just need to learn how to.. control Pokemon better, and use their.. type specific.. attacks in battle." Eric continued to get distracted by Mistral's breasts, which bounced slightly as she took a swipe at her hair with her brush. (Narrator's Comment: Hey, it's PG-13. I can do this stuff!)  
  
"Thought so. Well, there are a few new grunts on the helicopter, and they've been mistreated by the other administrators, so it'll be easy to get them into the fight," Mistral nodded, smiling. "Well, i'm done with my hair. Soon as I put it up.."  
  
Eric sniffled in disappointment. "You have to put the rest of the uniform on? Aw, c'mon. I was beginning to enjoy myself here."  
  
"Sorry," Mistral giggled, reaching a hand back to her hair, pulling it up, playing with it. "So, they're not too big or small, are they?"  
  
"N-no. Of course not," Eric muttered. Any excuse to look at breasts was alright with him. After a moment, however, they became hidden beneath the uniform top. "Hey! I wasn't through watching those!"  
  
Mistral grinned over at him, and stood up, pulling on her cape. "If you're lucky, tonight, you might get an encore."  
  
At that moment, another administrator burst in, looking around frantically. Once he found Mistral and Eric (it didn't take long, the room wasn't hard to scan on one end), he rushed over, and saluted him. "Sir! We've got a problem at the other Cianwood base! We need your help!"  
  
"Alright. Where do I go?" Eric asked, standing up. He pocketed his Pokeballs, and clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, causing Slowking, who at that point was in the process of waking, to leap off the bed, and stand at his side.  
  
"Follow me. Mistral, you should come too," the administrator muttered, leading out the door.  
  
"Wonder what's going on," Mistral blinked. "I hope Edd's alright."  
  
"That's where they're holding Edd?" Eric asked, glancing over at Mistral, who nodded. "Well, damn."  
  
-------  
  
"Jessie, James! Follow me! Mistral, hold the hangar, whoever it is will probably head for there!" Eric ordered, leaving Mistral behind in the hangar with a group of grunts. Slowking also stayed behind. Eric was pretty confident that his little team could take whatever came along. "Now remember, you two. If we have to battle, let out all the stops, use your types best attack, and have them use it as fast as possible."  
  
James nodded, looking back at Meowth, who was struggling to keep up. "Alright."  
  
At that moment, a grunt came flying down at hall towards them, and all three of them stopped. "Okay. Here it is. Summon your Pokemon, you two! Go, Gastly! Meowth, get up in front!"  
  
"Arbok, go!"  
  
"Weezing, let's show them how it's done!"  
  
All four of the Pokemon appeared (Meowth was the only one who didn't come from a Pokeball), and waited for the intruder to appear. A young girl, about Eric's age, stepped from the shadows, followed closely by a large, muscular, sumo wrestler looking Pokemon, with broad arms. She laughed slightly. "Is this the best that Team Rocket can throw at me? A Gastly? If I had a psychic, I could decimate you all.." the girl grinned.  
  
"Do you know who you're talking to?! This is the highest ranking person in Team Rocket, besides our boss! If I were you, i'd surrender now and make it easy!" James growled, balling his hand into a fist, gritting his teeth. Jessie followed the same example.  
  
"Cool it, you two. You can't think straight if you're angry.." Eric brought out both his arms, before putting them back to his side. "What's your motive?"  
  
"You have someone held up here. I was only helping him out," the girl smiled, stretching. The girl was of a slender build.. a similar build to that of Mistral, but this girl was younger, more inexperienced through age, though her Pokemon looked menacing. Her green hair was allowed to hang freely around her head, contrasting her hazel eyes. She wore typical trainer get-up, for exploration in tall grasses. A Pokemon trainer, but what amazed Eric was not only how she got here, but also how she knew this place was even here. "But enough talk. Let's get to the battle. Hariyama, use Arm Thrust!"  
  
The Hariyama squeezed past the girl, and quickly began thrusting its arms out at the Pokemon. The Gastly laughed gleefully, as the attack went through it. The Hariyama realized its attack wasn't effective on the Ghost Pokemon, so it moved on to Arbok.  
  
"It doesen't have much room in this small hall! Jessie, order your Arbok to wrap it up and squeeze it as hard as it can!" Eric commanded. Jessie nodded. "Arbok, Wrap that Pokemon!"  
  
"Chaaabok!" the Pokemon cried, ducking under the powerful arm, wrapping tightly around the Pokemon so it wouldn't be able to move. "Okay, James. You know what to do next," Eric nodded.  
  
"R-right! Weezing, Toxic!" James commanded his Pokemon. The Hariyama was soon covered from head to toe in hissing poison, but the Arbok was unaffected, due to its poisonous nature. The girl's mouth gaped open in utter disbelief, as the Hariyama fell over, a victim to the ever strengethening wrap attack, and poison. It was recalled into its Pokeball, and the Arbok returned to its owner.  
  
"Ahaha! I told you you wouldn't be able to beat him," Edd laughed, moving out from the shadows behind the girl, causing her to jump slightly in alarm. "He's good, and he's a good leader. He knows his Pokemon."  
  
The girl looked from Edd, to Eric and his group. "That's Eric? The one with the cape?" the girl asked, nodding slowly, grinning. "Impressive. You didn't have to use your Pokemon to defeat me. Pretty good."  
  
"You know this woman, Edd?" Eric asked, looking back at Edd.  
  
Edd gave a nod, smiling. "This is my big sister, Kimmy, but I call her Kim. She's been a trainer for seven straight years, and she nearly beat the Pokemon League Competition last year!"  
  
Eric's eyes opened wide, as he took in the girl's details once again. "So THAT was where I recognized her! I remember watching her battle that other trainer on TV. Your Grovyle almost beat that Crobat!"  
  
"You're observant. Well, Eric, now that I know i'm around an ally, how do I get out of this place without getting caught?" Kim asked, putting her hands to her hips, looking him over. "Oh, and the uniform doesen't do the leader persona justice."  
  
"Thanks for the fashion advice," Eric muttered, looking back behind him. He recalled his Gastly, and Jessie and James reluctantly recalled their Pokemon. "Now's not the time to converse about what to wear on the runway. Jessie, James..?"  
  
Jessie and James glanced over at him, looking off-guard, as if not expecting him to talk to them.  
  
"You know this place better than anyone else. Is there any side-exit they can take?" Eric asked them, looking back over his shoulder again.  
  
Jessie poked her chin a few times, before nodding. "Hmm.. There's the one that leads into the sea.. and then there's the solar room.. for the grass type Pokemon that the boss has been raising.."  
  
"Can you get them to the Solar Room from here?" Eric asked.  
  
"Sure. C'mon, James!" Jessie nodded, grabbing James by the earlobe, dragging him off to a door, opening it. "It's down this hall. Follow me, you two! We've got alot of running to do!"  
  
Edd nodded, and gave Eric a thumbs-up, running quickly down the hall. Kimmy made her way over to Eric, moved right up in his face, and smirked. "I'll be seeing you soon, Eric. Expect for us to have a proper battle.. and I intend to win and show you that your lucky streak is just what it is.. lucky.." Her lips brushed against his, and she winked, turning on her heel, and speeding through the open door, down the hall.  
  
Eric stood there alone, bringing a hand to his lips. "Great.. I join Team Rocket, and get another rival.."  
  
-------  
  
Back at the hangar, Eric explained that the intruder had escaped, and about Jessie and James' efforts in battle with a superior Pokemon. The grunts were quite impressed, and accepted that he would make sure to snuff out the intruder personally. Of course, he was lying, but ducks will always follow the mother, so to speak. He never did mention the fact that he had a new rival/love interest. Things were beginning to get confusing, but he had to get his ducks in a row, and focus on dissolving Team Rocket, first.  
  
The trip that day consisted of two stops: first, the Ice Caves. Most of the day was spent hunting Delibird, which went without a hitch, as law enforcement wouldn't dare step into Ice Caves. Not with Fire Pokemon.  
  
The next stop was around sundown.. in Kanto. Eric's first trip to Kanto, it took alot of time (and a stop at Viridian City for refueling) to make it to Mt. Moon. The moon was full, and Clefairy were plenty, as they danced atop the mountain in their usual full moon ritual. Eric was able to make another killer job there, as well, and was earning the trust and respect of the grunts he was working with by commanding them with excellent leadership, skill, and treating them all as equals. They especially enjoyed that.  
  
With his own Clefairy and Delibird in hand, or in the PC if you want to get technical, the troop arrived back at home, where they scattered off to their destinations for the night. It would only take a few more days of successful misisons.. and a bit of word of mouth.. and he would soon be prepared for the dissolve of Team Rocket.  
  
But that wasn't tommorow. And every good trainer needs sleep.  
  
------  
  
End Chapter 16 


	17. Chapter 17

Sleep was plentiful the night before. No nightmares, nothing waking him up in the middle of the night.. although the only disappointment was that Mistral had decided not to spend the night with him again. Though, he had brushed that disappointment aside, as he had more important things to do. Much more important things.  
  
The Solarium was the perfect place to train. It was only accessible to high- ranking administrators and, of course, Giovanni, and it gave him enough room to train his only disciples. Though he had invited all the grunts of the past trips he was on, only a few showed up. Though there were only a few of them, his rag-tag group was beginning to grow.  
  
"Alright, now. I want Charles and James to battle this time. Charles, remember that you have a Hitmonchan. There's no type matching here, but your Hitmonchan knows a variety of elemental punches, so you'll want to have him use a type that'll work here," Eric nodded towards the grunt, then turned towards James. "Okay, James.. just remember what we discussed. Have your Weezing regulate his Smokescreen so that it won't interrupt the others." James gave a thumbs-up.  
  
Eric turned towards Jessie and a female grunt, who looked like she wasn't sure she should be doing unauthorized training. "Crystal, would you give it a rest already? Giovanni isan't going to mind that we're training in here, i'll make sure of it. Jessie, your Lickitung is a great way to stall a large group of Pokemon. Have it use its Lick attack to paralyze.. Crystal, would you listen to me for a second? Thank you. Remember to have your Starmie use Water attacks, not Psychic, it won't affect Lickitung." Jessie and Crystal nodded, and, like James, begun their battle.  
  
"You've come a long way," Mistral smiled, walking up next to Eric, watching the battle. Meowth stayed in the corner, watching the battles, and Eric motioned for him to come over.  
  
"Yeah. You learn alot from experience, I suppose.. Meowth, why aren't you training?" Eric asked, looking down at the cat-scratch Pokemon.  
  
Meowth rubbed the back of his head, and shrugged. "Well, I didn't tink I needed trainin', so I thought i'd sit on the sidelines.."  
  
"No. You should be training just like everyone else. Here.. train with Slowking," Eric nodded, looking behind him. Slowking stepped forward, causing Meowth to step back from the sheer intimidation of the powerful Pokemon. "Slowking, go easy on him. No powerful physical attacks or psychic attacks, got it?"  
  
"Indeed. You are the master," Slowking nodded, moving over to the other side of the Solarium with the Meowth. After a few moments, they began to battle, finally, trading and defending against each others attacks successfully.  
  
"I was thinking, Eric.. perhaps it'd be for the best that you didn't dissolve Team Rocket," Mistral began, her voice low, so the battling trainers wouldn't hear her. "Think of all these trainers who have been doing this most of their lives.. they don't have any trade to go into if Team Rocket does dissolve.."  
  
Eric glanced over at Mistral, quirking an eyebrow. "Do you have any other suggestions on how to get out of here?"  
  
"Well.. no.. i'm just saying.." Mistral began, searching for an excuse.  
  
"If you don't want to leave Team Rocket, then there's nothing I can do about it. However, you aren't going to change my mind about dissolving Team Rocket. I would like to get back to my Gym Circuit, especially if I want to qualify for the Pokemon League Championship," Eric muttered, keeping his voice low. "Sign-up is in four months."  
  
Mistral brought her hands down behind her back, and sighed. "I'm just looking out for the people who've looked after me.."  
  
"That's understandable, I guess-" Eric was cut short, as the sound of the Solarium door opening behind him alerted him to someone entering. Sure enough, there was the administrator he had met when he had first met Jessie and James. All the grunts stopped battling, their Pokemon looking confused as to why the orders had stopped.  
  
"Look what we have here...? Illegal training? Eric, I certainly do hope that you have a good explination for this," the man began, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
Eric nodded, turning to look at the administer. "Of course. Giovanni wanted me to keep track of his Oddish, and I decided, while I keep track of them, it would be a good idea to teach my assistants the ropes in Pokemon battling, since they were lacking in that area. It's a little harmless learning, not training."  
  
The administrator quirked an eyebrow, and looked behind him at the other grunts. "I see more than just Jessie and James."  
  
"Friends of mine. They've come to help them learn. It's hard to battle someone you know so well, isan't that right, James?" Eric inquired, glancing back at James, who nodded in confusion. "See? Now, scoot, before you wake up the Gloom. Then the boss won't be very happy."  
  
The administrator stared at Eric for a few good moments, before turning, walking back out the door. "I gots my eye on you, boy."  
  
--------  
  
The next couple of weeks were less eventful than Eric had hoped. Though more Team Rocket members were joining his training sessions, it was obvious that his rebellion wasn't as popular as he had hoped it would be. Once members had participated in three sessions, he divulged his plans, and most of them stayed. However, he grew wary that one of them would talk, so, he continued to push ahead his plans.  
  
Mistral was being a bigger tease than ever, spending entire days and nights with him, but mostly, he guessed, to keep him passionate about the rebellion. Of course, he had been wrong in the past.  
  
His Pokemon were even more powerful than when he had first joined Team Rocket. His Pidgeotto had evolved into a Pidgeot, and his Gastly into a Haunter. He had even pulled out his Kangaskhan for a bit of battle experience. However, much to his surprise, the Kangaskhan was incredibly powerful, and most of the attacks it dealt laid the opponant down in one hit.  
  
In the end, he decided, it would be his Kangaskhan, Slowking, and Pidgeot leading the rebellion. He had advised the trainers he was working with to be wary of other grunts during their individual training sessions, and his group was showing alot of progress... but none more than Jessie and James. Using Eric's battle tips, they had not only grown into an efficient fighting team, but also learned to use their Pokemon's strengths in unison. For example, Jessie's Lickitung would paralyze the opponant with a powerful lick, and Weezing would sap the fight out of the enemy with its poison attacks.  
  
Even Mistral had made progress. Her Dugtrio was stronger than ever, and her Cyndaquil finally evolved into a Quilava. Though, her Bellsprout seemed to be having a hard time in battles, and as such, was reluctant to evolve.  
  
And what made things even better, was that Edd and Kimmy were also hard at training, and had even rallied all of the past trainers that Eric was considering to bring in. Whitney, Falkner, and Bugsy, last Eric heard, were all at Olivine City, hard at work with their training. What really made Eric's day, however, was that Jasmine had yet to return from wherever she was, so Edd was able to track down Eugene as well.  
  
His forces all rallied, able to spring at a moments notice, he had pushed the rebellion's date to the next night. He had alerted this to Edd through his Pokegear, and Edd said that he'd move the Gym Leaders and trainers onto the southern-most Whirl Island, the one closest to the hideout. All Eric had to do was open the hangars, and the attack would begin.  
  
Though the day went slow, night time finally rolled around, and at the designated time, Jessie, James, and Mistral all piled into their rooms. Meowth was quick to take a nap up on Eric's bed, as Eric motioned for them to sit down at the table.  
  
"So, did you leave the hangar open?" Eric asked Jessie and James, who gave a quick nod. "Perfect. So, all we have to do is wait for the first signs of a fight.."  
  
A half hour passed.. then an hour.. then two hours.. Eric glanced down at his Pokegear. It read, '1:36 AM', and he was beginning to grow wary. Finally, the sound of an explosion, and the shaking of nearly the entire base, rocked him from his half-sleep. "Okay. That's the signal. I want you two," he nodded to Jessie and James, quickly standing as they did. "To go down and flank any grunts giving the others a hard time. Also, rally the grunts that know about the rebellion. Once the grunts are either all defeated or converted, send them to the mess hall."  
  
Mistral glanced at Eric in a confused manner, but he just shrugged. Jessie and James rushed from the room, and Eric was quick to leave a few moments after them. He headed down the opposite hall, heading for the emergency stairs. He threw open the door, Mistral following on his heels. The emergency stairs nearly shook with how many feet were pounding against them to either escape or help drive back the trainers. Eric could only hope that they were holding out.  
  
Running up the stairs, it only took three flights to get up to the floor in which Giovanni took for his own room. The door, as he pushed it, was locked. "Kangaskhan, make short work of this door with a Mega Punch!" ... As Kangaskhan appeared, so did Slowking and Pidgeot, who landed gracefully on Eric's shoulder. his Pidgeot asked, looking over at him curiously.  
  
"Correct." BAM! Like a shotgun going off, the door was ripped off its hinges by the powerful punch from the Kangaskhan, and all three Pokemon stepped in, Eric and Mistral following. It seems Mistral had summoned out her Dugtrio and Quilava, as the Dugtrio was tearing up the carpet and tile to follow her. "Alright, Giovanni. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee. You are the root of the evil that has taken base here, and I believe it's time that we uproot you.."  
  
Giovanni stepped from the shadows, Pokeball in hand. "Fool. You don't seem to understand just how powerful I truly am. As compared to your Pokemon, you are nothing.. Alakazam! Make short work of these fools!"  
  
Out of the red light came an awesome sight.. standing tall, and nearly causing Eric to stagger back from the splitting headache he received, Alakazam formed from the energy, bending his spoons this way and that. It smirked at the sight of the Slowking, and as it seemed, the two were in a mental struggle, as the headache disappeared momentarily, then returned.  
  
"Your Slowking is powerful, but inexperienced. Alakazam, destroy that Slowking with your Psybeam attack!" Giovanni commanded. Slowking quickly rolled to the side, as the Psybeam crashed across the floor, tearing up the ground. The Dugtrio and Kangaskhan also had to move out of the way, nearly nicked by the powerful energy. Giovanni laughed, shaking his head. "Slowking.. Your power is rumored to be the greatest among all of the Psychics, but I have seen true power, and it is not you, nor Alakazam. Alakazam! It's time to end this early. Shadow Ball!"  
  
Slowking brought up his hands, creating a Light Screen. The Shadow Ball which had been conjured up by the Alakazam slammed into the Light Screen, sending up a shower of sparks. "E-eric.. I can't hold this for long! It is powerful against my energies.."  
  
"Right. Kangaskhan!" Eric commanded. "Dizzy Punch!"  
  
The Kangaskhan stumbled forward, and slammed its clawed fist into the Alakazam's head. The Shadow Ball disappeared into thin air, and the Alakazam stumbled back, looking confused. At that point, it began firing Psybeams in every direction. Pokemon were rolling and jumping in every direction to avoid the powerful blasts. Pieces of rock were falling all around them, and it wasn't long before the Alakazam was exhausted.  
  
Mistral stepped forward, and pointed towards the Alakazam. "Dugtrio, Earthquake!"  
  
The Dugtrio let out a series of mole-like squeaks, and dug into the tile.. after a moment, the entire floor began to shake, and the Alakazam disappeared into a hole created beneath it. Giovanni was in shock, but his facial expression turned into blind rage.  
  
"Give up now, Giovanni, and we'll let you go easy," Eric muttered, his Pokemon standing beside him not as creatures to take orders, but as equals.  
  
"You'll have to kill me.. Arcanine! Go!" Giovanni managed, throwing out a second Pokeball. The Arcanine appeared with a roar, and glared towards the Pokemon infront of it. "Arcanine.. Kill that trainer! Ignore the Pokemon! Kill him!"  
  
"You dirty bastard.." Eric muttered, watching the Arcanine charge towards him. The Pidgeot leapt off his shoulder, and quickly began to attack with its powerful wings. Slowking stepped in the way, and fired a powerful blast of water at it, but that didn't seem to stop it, and Slowking was quick to move out of the way. Even the Kangaskhan was knocked out of the way. "Slowking! Psychic!"  
  
The Arcanine seemed to cringe from the blast hitting it, but it continued.. and after what seemed like minutes, the Arcanine rose its enourmous front paws in order to bring Eric down, but Eric quickly rolled away. The Arcanine gnashed its deadly teeth towards the trainer, who again leapt back. It was only then he realized that he was standing on the edge of one of the holes created by the Psybeam attacks from before. "S-shit.. Slowking!"  
  
"I'm coming! Fuwah!" Slowking cried, as it was knocked aside by a powerful blast of fire. Eric quickly tried to shift away from the hole, but the Arcanine was faster. All the wind seemed to leave him in a split second, as the Arcanine dug its powerful skull into his stomach, sending him flying out of the crack in the side of the hideout.. the only thing below him was cold, dark water.  
  
The last thing he could remember seeing was Mistral's Dugtrio taking down the Arcanine, and Mistral nearly leaping off after him, only to be grabbed by the powerful arms of Falkner, and pulled back inside.  
  
And then.. there was nothing but the stars, the night, and the bright moon above his head. In what seemed like an eternity, his back hit the water, and it felt like he was hit by a brick wall at a hundred miles an hour. Or, atleast, he thought he felt the pain..  
  
-------  
  
"NO! LET ME GO! ERIC!" Mistral screamed, tears choking her throat, and blurring her vision. Bugsy and Whitney were quick to subdue Giovanni, but Mistral could hardly notice anything else than Eric's body sinking, disappearing beneath the water.  
  
Falkner struggled, but looked amazed at how calm Eugene was, as he passed them both, standing cautiously at the edge of the crack, looking down at the dark waters below. "He's really dead, huh?"  
  
Mistral finally gave up, tired, falling to her knees, covering her face with her hands, though it was obvious she could hardly control her crying. It seemed that both Bugsy and Whitney were both nearly on the verge of tears themselves, but Eugene turned quickly to Giovanni, stomping towards him. His fists were balled, and, as he gripped Giovanni by the hair, decked him across the face hard. Giovanni spit out some blood, and grinned. He couldn't move, held tightly by the ropes that Whitney and Bugsy had tied him with.  
  
"That's right.. release your rage.. he was your rival, was he not? It's a shame. I bet the look on his face as he fell to his doom was priceless. I bet Mistral saw it, didn't you, Mistral? Yes, tell us what he face looked like before he hit the water," Giovanni muttered, looking pleased with himself. His Arcanine lay in the corner, its fur matted with blood, but it was still breathing.  
  
Mistral simply broke into heavier sobs, and Whitney was quick to try and console her. Bugsy, however, looked nearly as furious as Eugene was.  
  
"You may kill me.. but I lived a full life. You have carried out Eric's last wishes.. you have successfully dissolved Team Rocket.. but have you forgotten Team Magma? I suppose they will disregard us and go off on their own.. but does it matter? I am.. dying," Giovanni muttered, his eyes drooping, though the smirk on his face remained. "But I have destroyed the traitor.. though I knew this day would come.."  
  
Before Eugene could deck him again, his eyes closed, and his head drooped over to the side.. lifeless. Eugene checked the mans pulse, and shook his head. "He's dead now. He's useful to no one."  
  
Falkner sighed, moving over towards the crack to look down towards where Eric had fallen. The sea was calm.. and it seemed that a storm was moving in.. perhaps to mourn Eric's death, or to simply refresh life on Cianwood. Slowking joined the Gym Leader, carrying what looked like flowers he had plucked from a vase. Before anyone could say anything, Slowking threw the flowers into the air outside, and watched the flowers drift slowly to the water below.  
  
"Let us.. go to Cianwood.. we will search for his body in the morning, and give him a proper burial," Falkner muttered, closing his eyes, and bowing his head. "And again, another aspiring trainer.. falls off the road to the Pokemon League.."  
  
--------  
  
End Chapter 17 


	18. Chapter 18

"Alas.. another dead trainer.. where have the peaceful times gone?"  
  
"Ah, don't mope. What've you got to mope about?"  
  
"Nothing. But this one showed so much promise.. What do you think?"  
  
"What do you mean, what do I think? You're the one in charge of this kinda stuff."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"Oh. Well.. I suppose we can make an exception for this one. His soul still hasn't left his body.. but the bones're gonna be a problem."  
  
"No problem. Give me ten minutes."  
  
"Wait! Wait! Get him to the surface first!"  
  
"I'm trying! He's too heavy! Get that Goldeen over there!"  
  
"Umf.. umf.. why'd you have to pick the heaviest one, and the one that's underwater?"  
  
"Don't worry about it. We're getting him up there.. almost.. almost.. AH! Fresh air! Smell the salt of the sea!"  
  
"Knock it off. We've got so much to do and so little time. Well? Bring him back to life!"  
  
"I'm working on it! I'm working on it! ... ... ... Ah! There we go! He's alive! He's got a pulse! HE'S ALIVE!"  
  
"Knock it off. He won't be alive long unless we can heal him. Help me out here, it's a compound fracture.."  
  
"All fixed. Man, you're getting rusty."  
  
"I told you to knock it off."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"How're we gonna get him to Cianwood?"  
  
"The same way we travel. It'll just be like.. with some extra baggage."  
  
"Oh, yes, with extra baggage. More extra baggage than we can carry. Doesen't he have a Pidgeot?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll call him.."  
  
"What's taking so long?"  
  
"I dunno. Give me a break, will ya?"  
  
"Oh. There he is. Sorry."  
  
"Yeah, right. Okay. Well.. there he goes. It's only a shame he couldn't see us. You know how those humans are."  
  
"Yeah. They see rare Pokemon, and they go nuts."  
  
"Haha.. yeah, I remember the last one we found."  
  
"Ah, well. Wave goodbye!"  
  
"Farewell!"  
  
"Goodbye!"  
  
--------  
  
"No.. I don't want to get up.. turn off that light.. it's not time for school yet.." Eric muttered, slowly opening his eyes. His vision was nearly blinded by the bright sun above him, and he covered his eyes, letting out a sharp groan. He had a splitting headache.. but he paused in mid-groan.. wasn't he.. dead? There was no way in hell anyone could survive a fall like that. Perhaps.. he was in heaven?  
  
POKE! "Is it.. dead?"  
  
Eric opened his eyes, looking up at the junior trainer, who quickly screeched and ran off. Groggily, he lifted himself up off the sand.. he didn't need a mirror to tell that he looked horrible, because he felt as horrible as he probably looked. His body and clothes felt wet from the changing tides, and his back was matted with sand. Basically, he felt like he had had too much to drink, and had passed out on the beach. He looked around, and noticed his Pidgeot, who was keeping lookout for him. Obviously, it found no threat in the junior trainer before, so it didn't drive him off.  
  
"Woah.. eh.." Eric muttered, slowly making his way to a stand. He staggered back and forth, trying to keep his balance. "Where.. am I?"  
  
For a moment, he stood, staring out at the ocean, his vision still blurry, but now coming into focus, despite his splitting headache. He brought up his wrist, which contained his Pokegear.. surprisingly, it was still there, and working. When they said waterproof, they meant it. The map read 'Cianwood Island', and the time read, '5:12 PM'. He shook his head, and slowly turned to the right, following the map from his current location. If he was correct, he'd be able to hobble into Cianwood and get some help. He heard his Pidgeot take flight, and he looked up.. true to his guess, his Pidgeot was circling over his head.  
  
After a few unsuccessful attempts to walk normally, he was soon walking at a slow pace.. and not soon after, he heard voices. He leaned against the nearest boulder, and listened the voices to see if they were approaching. After a moment, he concluded they weren't moving. He continued to listen, closing his eyes, waiting for a right moment to cry out for help.  
  
"And so.. though no body was found.. we lay the trainer, Eric Malone, to rest. In his living days, he was a brave, caring trainer.. and will be forever remembered as the trainer that dissolved Team Rocket!" the voice yelled, and Eric blinked. If he wasn't mistaken, that was his name that was called. He opened his mouth, and yelled, 'Hey! Help me out, over here!', but his attempt was drowned out by what seemed like a twenty-one gun salute. He cringed painfully, as his headache grew worse with the proximity of the noise. The sounds of footsteps on the sand was soon replaced by the sounds of sobbing.  
  
"Yes.. Eric was an excellent trainer.. He definetely redeemed himself for stealing his Pokedex by his actions against Team Rocket," Eric heard Falkner say with a sigh.  
  
With much effort, Eric pushed away from the boulder, and staggered towards the tall stone wall in which the voices were coming from around the corner. He could tell he was near the town, but he felt his power failing him. With one last burst of energy, he managed to push himself past the corner, where he promptly fell to the sand. Everything went silent the second he hit the ground. The sobbing stopped, and Eugene, who had begun to say his last words for the makeshift funeral, had stopped.  
  
"Oh my god.." he heard Mistral mutter, and he heard the sound of a body hitting the sand. Obviously, Mistral had fainted.  
  
"Dear lord.. How.. what.. I.." Slowking muttered, rushing towards his trainer. "This does not seem possible! Has my beloved master arisen from the dead?!"  
  
"No, he's not dead.. he's still alive," Bugsy muttered, nodding to Falkner, who helped lift him up. "But i'm just as surprised as you are."  
  
"Well, let's get him to the hospital.. and bring Mistral too, Whitney," Falkner muttered. "I can't believe she fainted.."  
  
---------  
  
When Eric slowly awoke, his eyes were greeted by another bright light.. this time, it wasn't the sun. He wanted to look around, but doing so simply prompted a sharp pain to register through his skull. He gave a low groan.. and only seconds after that, felt feminine arms wrap around his body. He closed his eyes again.. licking his parched lips.. only to realize that he couldn't. He tried to hold back the gag reflex.. noting the feeding tube sticking out of his mouth. He heard a familiar female voice.. one that belonged to every Nurse Joy since the dawn of time, so it seemed.  
  
"Oh.. you've awoken. Please.. just relax for a moment, so I can get that out. Just relax your throat.." Nuse Joy cooed, trying to get him to relax. It wasn't easy. He had a big plastic tube all the way down his throat. Still, he managed to relax after a minute.. and with the relaxation, came the uprising of the tube, and a similar uprising of bile in his throat. Luckily, the nurse predicted it.. and managed to catch his head in the wastebasket as he vomitted what he hadn't digested that came through the tube.  
  
Once he'd recovered from it.. he took the glass of water nearest his, uncaring of whose it was, taking a deep sip from it. It was then a face came into view.. and he opened his eyes to see it. He knew, as the light had dimmed slightly. "Mistral.."  
  
"I'm here.." She whispered, running a hand through his hair gently. "I have been this entire time."  
  
"How long?" He inquired, slowly tilting his head towards the affections of the female standing over him.  
  
Mistral thought for a few moments, her eyes turning towards the near-by calendar. "Two and a half weeks, atleast." She smiled apologetically. "Falkner, Bugsy.. everyone went home, except for me. I have no home."  
  
"Edd too?"  
  
"No. Edd's training at the moment. Said he wants to be better than you when wake up. I think he just might be."  
  
Eric smirked weakly. "Yeah. I doubt that."  
  
"Eitherways, you still have a while to recouperate. I don't think you'll be able to sign up for the Pokemon League." Mistral sighed gently, slowly shifting to sit on the edge of the bed.  
  
Eric heaved a heavy sigh. "I planned perfectly.. to be there, be ready.." He sighed again.. reaching up a trembling hand to rub his forehead. The door opening prompted a glance in that direction. Eugene had appeared in the doorway, glancing from Mistral to Eric.  
  
"You'll want to see this, Eric." Eugene murmured, moving to the TV on the other side of the room, turning it on and scrolling up to channel 8.  
  
A lovely blue-haired woman appeared on the screen, holding some papers, and an attractive smile; obviously a news anchor. "This just in.. we have a live TV crew at Cianwood Hospital, where they've found the Violet City murderer. According to our reports, the man responsible was none other than Eric Malone, a trainer from New Bark Town. Though he is not armed and dangerous, several gym leaders have converged on this one spot to keep the police away while he recovers. More information as it comes. In other news, Team Rocket has been dissolved.."  
  
The TV was turned off, and Eugene turned back to Eric. "We've got to get out of here. Can't you get better anytime soon?"  
  
"Yeah. If I was a freak or something." Eric defended himself, rubbing his forehead. He slowly moved to sit up.. Mistral's slender arms helping him in his task. "Thanks."  
  
"Falkner, and Bugsy are still down there guarding the hospital entrance. Whitney hasn't returned from the Pokemon Center yet." Eugene explained, throwing Eric his backpack.  
  
The tell-tale red light summoned up Erics' majestic Pidgeot. Its wings spread and it let out a bit of a chirp, before moving towards the window. The window was opened by Eugene's hands.. and the Pidgeot climbed out onto the windowsill. "We had you moved up to the top floor for just this reason." Eugene explained, helping Eric get to the window. "Watch out for the first step. It's a doozy."  
  
"Isn't there an easier way? Like a plea bargain? I'm sick of running.." Eric sighed, slowly stepping out onto the windowsill.  
  
"Well, yes, if you want to fry. Go ahead. Onto the Pidgeot." Eugene pushed him.. Mistral watching with worry. The Pidgeot's large body caught Eric easily.. and with a flap of strong wings, the Pidgeot took off.  
  
-----------  
  
"Look! Up there! It's a Pidgeot!" One of the by-standers yelled, pointing up at the top-floor window in plain sight from the ground below. An Officer Jenny pulled out her binoculars, looking up at the Pidgeot.  
  
"That's the convicted! He's trying to escape! Concentrate the Growlithe on that Pidgeot!"  
  
-----------  
  
"Damn.. I was hoping this'd be easier.." Eric murmured, watching the thick stream of fire miss the right wing of his bird Pokemon by inches. The ocean was visible from all sides.. but that still wasn't any help. "Head west, Pidgeot. We'll meet up with the others later in Goldenrod." Dodging a few more blasts of fire from the Growlithe below, the Pidgeot set a path easily and streaked off towards the city fast enough to require Eric to have to hold on for his life.  
  
In only a few minutes, his Pidgeot finally slowed over the city of Goldenrod, and landed softly infront of the Gym. Oddly enough, there was a familiar face waiting for him. "Wow. You look like hell still."  
  
"Whitney?" Eric slowly slid off his Pidgeot, and onto legs that hadn't seen much action in the past week. They shook with the strain of having to support his weight, but he managed to keep himself standing. "I need somewhere to rest."  
  
"I know. Falkner just called and told me you'd be arriving soon. You might want to get inside before anyone notices you." Whitney walked over towards Eric, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and stuck her head beneath his left armpit. A firemans carry. She helped him slowly into the grassy gym. It was then he realized how lucky he truly was. Everything seemed to have a new meaning now. He realized that through all the things he'd done, he took for granted all the people and things that'd gotten him this far. Still, he said nothing as he felt the soft bed against his back. "Now, you just stay here and rest for now. You'll be safe here for a few days."  
  
"Thank you, Whitney." Eric murmured lowly, looking up at her for a few moments. He shifted slightly to get comfortable, watching her turn and start to walk away. "Something on your mind?"  
  
Whitney stopped, raising a hand to more or less brace herself against the door to her room, lowering her head slightly. "Not as much as you, i'm sure. We're just all intent on having you compete against all the gym leaders and becoming the new champion." She slowly glanced back at him. "You're destined to be the greatest Pokemon trainer of all time."  
  
Normally, Eric would've scoffed at the idea or laughed, but instead, he sat back to reflect, watching Whitney bounce out of the room before turning to look out the high-set window.  
  
-----------  
  
"How can this be, hm? How can he dissolve Team Rocket and escape the police AND death? Do either of you know?" the shadowy figure murmured, turning to whom he addressed, taking a puff of his cigar. "How is this possible?"  
  
The two other figures kneeled down and lowered their heads. "We aren't sure, but we've got operatives on it. We'll find out where he is."  
  
"I want him killed. He's becoming much too dangerous for his own good.. and ours. What have Teams Aqua and Magma been doing? I want a report."  
  
The second figure coughed gently to clear his throat. "Team Aqua has been doing some research into the myths of Mt. Pyre, as have Team Magma. There seems to be a huge dash for something there but it seems neither of them know what. You know how it is. It's a constant struggle for power over there."  
  
"Hoenn.. that's where we should concentrate for now. Let's not worry about Johto, but keep me posted on the situation in Kanto." the shadowy figure murmured between puffs on his cigar. "And I want that boys head on a plate."  
  
-----------  
  
End Chapter 18 


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note: Sorry about it taking so long to update the story. There's really not a whole lot more to do… kidding. 18 Chapters is only the beginning, folks. I'm determined to get this thing finished, but there's going to be a lot more to it than this.

You might want to read the first 18 chapters, if you're new to the series. Forgive me for the first four chapters, though. must've screwed up or something, since the first few chapters are missing a lot of text. If you can work around it, the later chapters should have all their text (I haven't been able to find the time to check). If you do notice any text missing in later chapters, add them to your review, and I'll get around to fixing the problem. Thanks!

Back to the story!

––––––––––––––––

Being the greatest Pokémon trainer of all time was just a dream, realized by only the most dedicated and hardened of Pokémon trainers. The time put into achieving even a position of power in the Pokémon world can be found in examples all over the world, from small children to even the elderly. It's not surprising to find a large range of ages in Gym Leaders, and even the Elite Four had their taste of age differences.

It was these things that went through Eric's mind as he walked. Recovering from the ordeal and getting back on the road was relatively quick with some help from the local Nurse Joy. She wasn't trained to just treat Pokémon, and she was trust-worthy… but he still had to be careful of who he talked to about where he was going, outside of Eugene, Mistral, and Edd.

"So do you really think I have what it takes to become a Pokémon Master?" Eric inquired of Mistral, and the newly arrived Edd, who'd only caught up to him shortly after his recovery.

"Sure. You've got talent, and a knack for the whole training thing. Granted, yes, you've been going through some troubling times.." Mistral began, noting the observing glance she was getting from him, causing her to pause. "Okay, a lot of troubling times… but still, I think you can do it."

Edd gave a nod of agreement. "If there's anyone I'd like to see participate in the Pokémon League, it's you. Mistral and I will be participating as well. We have to give you a challenge." He grinned a bit, tilting his head back a bit as he reached his arms up to support his neck and head. "I can't say a whole lot for myself. I passed the tests a while ago and got my Pokémon legally."

"Right. That's why you've got Pokémon at such a young age." Eric commented, nodding slowly to reinforce what he had said.

Edd grinned again. "If I had a prize to give you, I would. But, yes. That's why."

"Alright. We're here.." Eric murmured, folding his arms across his chest.

"We'll follow you, even though we already have a Storm Badge… gack!" Edd cried, feeling Eric's fist dig into the top of his skull. "Jeez! Did you really have to do that!"

"Did you really have to rub in that I'm two badges behind you guys?" Eric growled softly, opening the door to the Gym.

"Only one.." Mistral corrected him, smiling apologetically. "No-one's been able to find Jasmine yet. She's been missing since even before we arrived, remember?"

Edd gave a slight shrug, entering the door of the Gym as Mistral did, Eric following closely. "I figured they would've found her by now, or atleast assigned a replacement."

At the very end of the Gym was the Gym Leader… in this case, Chuck, who stood the second he saw the door open. After a few moments, the Gym Leader slowly crossed to the middle of the room. "So, this is the Eric they've been talking about, coming around and illegally participating in the Pokémon League. I must say, kid, you've got balls coming this far and not only evading capture, but doing the capturing."

Eric quirked an eyebrow, taking his place at the other end of the arena as Chuck moved to take his own end. "Captured? What?"

"The hearts of the public. Your story is a story that'll be told in history books, if it isn't already being written. Trainers will know your name long after you're gone." Chuck answered, folding his muscular arms across his chest.

Eric shrugged, mimicking the action of the Gym Leader by folding his arms across his chest. He gave a motion towards Slowking, who'd been silent until now. "What're you talking about? I keep hearing all this, and none of it's making any sense!"

"When Sabrina finds you, it'll all make sense in time." Chuck cleared his throat. "Now, I know what you're here for. Let's go!"

"Finally! I was getting tired of all the talk. Slowking!" Eric called, the Psychic Pokémon standing there, arms clasped behind his back, staring towards his new opponent… the Primeape on the other side of the arena. "Let's make this a quick win so we can move on. Slowking! Confusion!"

"Fury Swipes, Primeape!"

The two Pokémon stared each other down for the split second after the orders were given out, before the Primeape rushed across the arena with a speed surprising for the pig monkey. Quick scratches met with the Slowking's body just as he launched the Confusion attack. Though too late, it'd effectively end the attack early.

"Hm.. Primeape, Focus Punch!" Chuck commanded. The Primeape, in its own confusion, stumbled around hopelessly, only managing to smack its own self with the attack, missing Slowking completely.

"Excellent.. Let's finish this off with a Psychic!" Eric grinned, pointing towards the Primeape. Slowking had no qualms with the order, and with a purple glowing of eyes, the pig monkey Pokémon was slammed with a wave of intensely focused Psychic energy, sending it flying back past Chuck, and into the wall. Chuck quickly turned and summoned his Primeape back into its ball, before releasing his next Pokémon.

"Interesting.." Eric murmured, noting the Gym Leader's pick. Slowly, he tugged out his Pokedex and pointed it towards the Poliwrath that had appeared.

"Poliwrath, a Tadpole Pokémon. Easily one of the best swimming Pokémon, in water, one can easily outrun human swimmers, and even an enraged Gyrados."

"That helps." Edd murmured, tilting his head a bit to the side. "This thing has no water to give it an advantage, Eric! Just get him!"

Eric offered a quick nod towards Slowking. "Right. Let's do this! Slowking, Psybeam!"

The Pokémon quickly brought up two fingers, gathering Psychic energy between them. The energy turned a prismatic rainbow of colors. "Not so fast! Poliwrath, Hypnosis!"

Despite the fact that Slowking was a pure Psychic, the spinning whirls on the belly of the Poliwrath managed to cause Slowking to stumble a bit, and fall over, asleep, its attack rendered useless. "Damn it!" Eric growled softly, folding his arms across his chest. "Alright. Time to re-think my strategy.." He stepped forward, grabbing Slowking and tugging him out of the arena. "Go, Gastly!"

The gaseous, ghostly Pokémon leapt free of its restraint, eager to battle. This obviously caused Chuck some distress… his fighting Pokémon were useless against the ghost. It had to be water this time. "Hydro Pump, Poliwrath!" He commanded his tadpole Pokémon, which gladly obeyed. It fired a thick, powerful stream of water from its belly, towards the ghost.

"Avoid it, Gastly, and then Lick the Poliwrath!" Eric commanded, quickly ducking as the stream of water turned to attempt to hit the Gastly, who was too quick to get hit by the water. Fading from existence, the Gastly quickly appeared behind the Poliwrath, its tongue appearing from its mouth and giving the tadpole Pokémon a good long lick, causing shivers to course up and down the creature's spine. It was paralyzed where it stood!"

"Excellent! Let's finish this off with Night Shade!" Eric grinned, ducking as the stream of water jerked left and right. Mistral and Edd had to eventually duck as well, moving away from the wall to avoid all that water. The Gastly, however, began to slam the paralyzed Poliwrath with dark energies, disappearing into the shadows that'd appear around the Pokemon. When the shadows lifted, Poliwrath wobbled, falling over, unable to fight anymore.

Chuck recalled his Pokémon again as he grumbled. "Very good.. But, your tactics could do with some changing. Do more than just go from Gym to Gym. Do some training while you're out there. There's always room for improvement, and many talented trainers out there are better than any mere Gym Leader. Speaking of.." He smirked, tossing a badge in Eric's direction, who quickly caught it, and pulled out a small wooden box, placing the badge right next to the other badges he'd earned thus far. "Now get out of here before I change my mind and call the police."

Not wanting to wrap up a Gym Leader battle with a trip to jail (a trip he didn't want to repeat, regardless of who showed up and the circumstances of the last capture), he turned and left, Mistral and Edd following. Gastly followed through the door as it closed, laughing a bit. "Nice job, Gastly." Eric grinned, using its ball to summon it back. He paused for a few moments, thinking aloud. "Wonder when he'll evolve… should be any time now.." Another short pause, before turning towards Mistral and Edd. "Shall we go and see if Jasmine has returned?"

"Sure. Let's go… what've we got to lose? We might even see Eugene there!" Edd grinned slightly, summoning his Pelliper free of its prison.


End file.
